


Air Force Legacy

by kenshi_vakarian7



Category: Street Fighter
Genre: Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Friendship, Multi, OC Focused but still features Street Fighter Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 23:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 27,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11046891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenshi_vakarian7/pseuds/kenshi_vakarian7
Summary: Guile's trainee, Senior Airman Scott K. Wagner, prepares for his first real combat, but also begins to walk down the wrong path brought on by memories of his lost family.





	1. Prologue - The First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> **This story was written and published on ff.net between July 13, 2003 to March 4, 2005. It was edited on July 27, 2013.**
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> **First off, this story focuses on my Street Fighter OC, Scott K. Wagner. That information alone should give you the chance to press that back button if you don't care for OC-focused stories. I'm aware that these kinds of fics are frowned upon these days, so I take no offense if this is not your kind of fic to read. At the time I wrote this, Wagner actually had a little bit of a following (he has appeared in a handful of stories by other authors, most notably Vammy in her Life of Cammy series starting from Part 2 on ff.net), and I felt that it was enough for him to earn his own story.**
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> **If you decide to continue reading from here, thank you.**
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> **There are also a few other OC's that appear in this fic. Brief information about them are in the italics below;**
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> _Sergeant Liz McCall: Wagner's friend and eventual love interest._
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> _Sergeant Jake Katzman: Wagner's friend and bunkmate._
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> _Chris, Taylor, Ron, and Paul: Wagner's friends from outside the Air Force who are a bad influence._
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> _General Abraham McCall: The General of the LA Air Force and Liz's father._
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> _Sergeant Debbie Rodman: Liz's friend and bunkmate._
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> **But of course, this is not a Street Fighter story without any of the Street Fighter characters themselves. Primarily, you'll see Guile and Cammy (whose role is a bit different from the actual canon here) throughout the story, but the likes of Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and M. Bison will appear as well. Enjoy!**

"Trouble makers" Colonel William F. Guile said out loud to himself. "They can be something."

Guile stared at the folder in front of him containing information on a boy he was supposed to see. Guile was currently an employee assisting with recruiting for the Los Angeles Military Academy after a leg injury had grounded him temporarily. As a part of his job, he also tried to get to know the students learning the basics of the Military and the Air Force as well as a way to figure out their set of talents and where they can be most useful.

He was more used to working on the Air Force base, but the General has offered him to work at the Academy for a year while he recovered from his leg injury. Guile had accepted the job not only to keep him busy, but also knowing that the higher pay would be worth it no matter what.

Guile brushed up his mohawk-styled blond hair and then opened the folder that was currently in front of him. The first thing he saw was a picture of a boy. He was thin for a fifteen- year-old with shaggy blond hair that fell over his matching colored eyebrows and midnight blue eyes. He looked angry in the picture, his lips in a frown and his brows arched down.

The Colonel sighed knowing that he was going to deal with another troubled teenage boy. The superintendent has given him the folder just a few moments ago to read the boy's profile, aware that he was going to see him in just a few minutes. He ran into the hands of the authorities the night before for shoplifting a liquor store. He was released on bail just an hour ago. Not only his punishment was to hear Guile's lecture, but he also had to clean all of the bathrooms in the academy for the next month.

Guile removed the picture of the troubled student off the clip that was holding all of the papers together. The first of the five pages of the teen's profile and facts were laid out in front of him. Guile immediately began reading it.

"Scott Kurt Wagner" Guile said out loud. "Birth Date: August 27, birthplace: Brockport, California."

Then, Guile read the rest of the profile to himself. It was when he got down to the family information that a bit of sadness grew in his heart. _His family was... murdered by an unknown intruder,_ he thought. _The poor kid was only eleven-years-old._

A grim look appeared on Guile's face. He knew what it was like to have someone close to you die by the hands of a madman. _Why do these things happen to us?_ he thought.

It was at that moment that the door swung opened. The young teen Guile was waiting for poked his head into the room with the grim look on his face just like in the picture.

"You must be Scott," the Colonel said. "Come in."

The five-foot-eight teen walked in, closed the brown door behind him, and then walked towards Guile's desk slowly with his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans. He also wore a big brown jacket with _K. Wagner_ scripted on the left side above the pocket. Underneath the jacket was what looked like a green tank top. The shaggy hair he originally had in the picture was gone. Only a small amount of hair was left and the short length that remained was held up by gel.

Guile almost laughed a little, realizing that the teen sort of looked like him a little.

"Sit down Scott," Guile insisted pointing at the chair in front of his desk.

The teen flopped down on to the chair and slouched back. "Call me Wagner," he said looking at Guile's desk.

"Um, okay Wagner," the Colonel said. "So, why do you think you've been called to my office?"

"Don't you know that already?" Wagner snorted.

Guile sighed as he reigned in his patience. "Yes I do, but I would like to hear it from you."

"Fine. I stole a couple of bottles of liquor and ended up behind bars for the night."

There was silence for a few seconds before the older man spoke again. "You know that this will be put on your permanent record, right?"

"Yes I know," Wagner said growling. "I hear it from every fucking adult I run into-"

"Watch your mouth, kid," warned Guile. "It's not good that you have all of these records in your files. It will jeopardize your future."

"What future?" Wagner asked sarcastically.

Guile began to grow a bit impatient with the troubled teen. He didn't seem to get what he was getting himself into.

"Listen Wagner," Guile said. "It's not too late to change your ways. This was why you were brought here, to have a second chance. I know you've been through a lot, but-"

"What do mean?" a now angry Wagner said, his voice starting to rise with each word spoken. "What do you know about me?"

"Wagner," the Colonel replied calmly. "We here at the Los Angeles Military Academy must look through the records of those students we are going to see, it's a required process. I know what happened to your family and I'm sorry."

Wagner was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry. I watched my parents and my sister die right in front of my eyes and I should've done something about it."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault that they were killed-"

"Yes it was!" Wagner cried out. "And why do you care anyway? You've never had your family killed by some insane freak!"

"No," Guile said. "My family was never killed...but my best friend was killed in front of my eyes as well."

Wagner's face went from anger to completely blank. He sighed. "And you blamed yourself for it too?"

"For a while, yes," the Colonel replied. "I'm still working on bringing justice for my best friend and catching his killer."

"I wish I could do the same for my family," the young teen said. "But I don't even know who the killer is or where to start. I remember his face, but that's all I remember."

Guile placed a hand on Wagner's shoulder. "Don't worry. Hopefully, we can find him and soon."

Wagner's tilted his head up to the older man. "We?"

"Yes. You're not alone in this, Wagner."

A small smirk slowly appeared on Wagner's face. Guile was pretty sure he hadn't done that in a very, very long time. "Thanks."

"No problem. You can go now. You have a lot of bathrooms to clean today."

"Yeah…" Wagner grumbled as he stood up.

Guile stood up as well. "How long have you been here at the academy?"

"A week," Wagner replied.

"You still have a chance here," Guile said. "Try not to get into any more trouble." He then saluted to the student.

Wagner quickly saluted back and walked towards the door. As he reached for the knob, he turned back to the Colonel. "Guile"

"Yes"

"Thanks for listening."

Guile nodded as Wagner left the room shutting the door behind him.

Guile sat back down and looked at the photo of Wagner again. _Kids,_ he thought. _They can be something great when given the chance…_


	2. Chapter 1 - The Feeling of Disappointment

_Six Years Later_

Lying on his back in the twin bed in his dorm room, twenty-one-year-old Senior Airman Scott K. Wagner stared at the family photo of him from when he was eleven-years-old, his happy family right next to him. His mother and father had their arms wrapped around each other with bright grins on their faces. His older sister stood on his left with the same grin.

He sighed to himself sadly. _Can't believe it's almost been ten years,_ he thought.

The tenth anniversary of the death of his parents and sister was approaching faster than he thought. 'Although it wouldn't come for another three weeks,' he thought again grimly. He kept staring at the small wall-sized photo in his hand. It was the very last family photo that was taken before everything in Wagner's life changed.

The memory of that faithful day flashed before his eyes…

_The eleven-year-old boy was eating dinner happily with his parents and fourteen-year-old sister in the small dining room. The smell of roast turkey and gravy filled the air in the room. His father was talking about his job, but it seemed like he was talking in riddles. His mother, who always worried about her husband, looked at him with concern in her eyes._

_The boy just finished eating dinner, unaware of the heavy tension between his parents. He placed the fork and knife down on the plate filled with crumbs from the food he had just eaten. "I'm done" he announced._

_His mother managed to smile at him. "Okay Scott" she said. "Just put your dishes in the sink and go do your homework."_

_Scott nodded and placed his dishes in the sink. He looked at his family, who ate the rest of their dinners in silence. Scott sighed and left the kitchen. He began to go upstairs when he suddenly heard his mother shriek in terror, her frantic voice echoing throughout the house. He ran back downstairs and towards the kitchen, but then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. There was a big man floating from the ground in the room. Green electric shocks floated around his body along with a rainbow colored aura. He wore a red army uniform, steel boots and gloves, a long gray cape, and a hat with a low visor in the front of his face. Scott would never forget the glowing white eyes._

_"Mr. Wagner," the man said. "It's good to see you together with your wife and daughter."_

_Scott raised an eyebrow when the man didn't mention about him. He must not know I'm here, he thought. He backed up a little more._

_Mr. Wagner stood up. "You leave my family out of this you demon! What do you want?"_

_The man smirked evilly. The green shocks got bigger. "You've failed the mission I've given you. For failing, you will watch your family die."_

_"You can't do this!" Mr. Wagner cried, but before he did anything, the man teleport behind Mrs. Wagner, took her by the neck and crack! He wrenched Mrs. Wagner's neck with his massive hands. Her eyes glazed over after she drew her final breath._

_Scott's heart stopped suddenly at the site of his dead mother. The man dropped the older woman with a thud. The young boy wanted to scream, but he knew that his father would want him to stay in the other room._

_"Oh my God!" Mr. Wagner cried. Turning to his daughter, he shouted, "Lisa, get out of here!"_

_Lisa, with tears in her eyes, got up, but the man teleported in front of her. He grabbed her and lifted her up in the air. Lisa shrieked for life, but her scream was quickly cut off as the man snapped her neck with only one hand. Within seconds, her eyes rolled back and her limbs went limp._

__NO! _Scott cried out in his head._ What is he doing to my family!

_"You bastard!" Mr. Wagner shouted in rage._

_The man only smirked. "Now, Mr. Wagner... your demise." He teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the neck. He pinned Mr. Wagner against the wall and lifted him up. The man tightened his grip around his neck cutting off his air supply._

_Between the loud shocks, no was able to hear Scott cry out, "DAD! NO!"_

_Scott only stayed long enough to watch his father's body went limp before he began to sprint out of the house. Just as he was in the front yard, the house suddenly exploded. Scott dove into the street, went behind his father's car and covered his head. What he didn't realize was that yellow shocks spread through the backyard and the front yard and over Scott, whose eyes were shut tight. The yellow energy caused Scott's body to jolt for a quick second._

_Scott stood back up on his feet slowly and looked at his body. He gasped as he saw yellow electric shocks surrounding his body._

__What's happening to me? _he thought to himself with fear. Before he knew it, he fell forward with a thud and blackness washed over his consciousness…_

Wagner shook the horrifying memory out of his head, brought his right hand up and stared at it. Using his own emotions filled with rage and anger, he managed to charge up yellow sparks and the hand was surrounded by them. "I wonder where I got these powers from. What the hell are they good for any ways?"

He discovered that he had these strange powers two years ago after having lunch with Major General Guile, his trainer. Wagner felt sick to his stomach, but at the time he assumed that it was from the tasty hamburger he had for lunch at the small restaurant. That was until he felt an electric sensation running up and down throughout his body as if he was being electrocuted…

_"Wagner, what's wrong?" Guile asked. He noticed the terrified look on his trainee's face. Wagner's lips were partly opened and his midnight blue eyes were wide with terror._

_"I… I don't know!" Wagner cried out in fear. He immediately ran into a nearby alley, not wanting the pedestrians to see his fear. Guile followed him into the dirty alley. Immediately, the smell of rotting garbage hit his nose, causing it to twitch a couple of times._

_Wagner looked at Guile, his eyes still with the same terrifying look. "I don't know why I feel this way." Suddenly, to his surprise, his right hand became engulfed with yellow electric sparks. He felt the blood in his hand boil, giving him the feeling to punch at something._

_'What's happening to me?!' he cried out in his head._

_Wagner turned his head to the left and noticed a garbage can next to him. He walked over to it and punched as hard as he could at the large metal can. Like with anyone, he expected the garbage can to just simply knock over to the side, possible have a dent where he landed his closed fist. What really happened to the can was unexpected. As Wagner landed the blow, the can immediately shattered into a million pieces, pieces small enough to become sand particles._

_Wagner stepped back a couple of steps. His eyes were wider than before._ I don't believe this! he thought. I'm not seeing this! I didn't just do that! No! This is inhuman! __

_Wagner looked at Guile, who had the same look as he did. They stood there for some time, not know what to say, not even knowing what to think._

Again, Wagner shook the thought out of his head. The thought of having these powers bothered him for the first few months following what happened that day. It took him a while to realize that he was only able to charge up his power with the highest point of his rage and anger. A fight with an old friend had caused this about a year ago and he realized that it was the only way to summon his powers. Although he now knows how to control his powers, one thing still lingered in his mind.

_I still wonder where this came from._

He thought about his trainer Guile. After his first year at the Los Angeles Military Academy, Guile offered Wagner to come with him to the Los Angeles Air Force Base to train. The two had grown close throughout Wagner's year at the academy. The younger man had crossed trouble on a few occasions and was sent to see Guile. After the lectures, Guile would end up talking to him about the Air Force and it had caught Wagner's interest. The young teenager always wondered how it would feel to fly, and he asked Guile about that one day just a few weeks before leaving the academy.

"You would feel like a bird," Guile said that day. "Free at your own will and nothing to stop you."

When Wagner arrived at the base that summer, Guile had let him live in a nice two-floored colonial white house on the base with his wife Jane and his now-seven-year-old daughter Amy. And for the first time in years, Wagner felt like he was finally home, in a safe place... with a family.

When he was seventeen, Guile brought in a girl to their home, a girl his age. Her name was Cammy White, a teenager from England whose parents were killed by the hands of Shadaloo. The organization had also brainwashed her into an emotionless assassin and to kill without question. Guile had brought her in by the suggestion Detective Chun-Li Xiang of Interpol to protect her from the organization.

Wagner always wondered why the organization's name was so familiar.

Wagner had always looked up to Guile like a second father and when Cammy came to live with them, they acted like a true brother and sister. They got along like one, they teased each other like one (pulling each other's hair and calling each other names), and they fought like one. Whenever one was emotionally distressed, especially about their past, they comforted each other even if the other only listened.

Things changed a bit within the last year. Since Wagner's main study was the Air Force, he had decided to move into the dorms on the base. He had been an SRA for a while and hoped to become Sergeant soon.

Wagner still got into some trouble, but it hasn't been too bad since shoplifting a liquor store. Mainly, he and his friends from outside the Air Force would perform pranks and get into strip clubs with fake ID's, but that was back when he was younger. Now that he was actually twenty-one, it was no problem anymore.

It was then that Wagner's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door. "Wagner," he heard a female say. Just by the British accent, Wagner knew that it was Cammy.

He slipped the photo back in his pocket and got up from his bed. He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing the five-foot-four inch tall twenty-one-year- old. Cammy wore a white tank top, blue jean Capri's, and black and white Nike sneakers. Her waist-length blond hair was done in two braids leaving one strand in front of her face. Her light blue eyes glowed in the hallway light and a scar was lightly visible on her left cheek.

Wagner blatantly stared at her disfigurement, her scar. He never bothered to ask how she got it, but a part of him told him that it might've had something to do with 'them.'

"Hey squirt," Wagner said with a laugh. He knew that calling Cammy 'squirt' would set her off.

Cammy lightly smacked him in the arm. "Aren't we a little old to call each other names, dog breath?"

The two shared a quick laugh before Wagner spoke again. "So what's up?"

"Some news," Cammy answered. "Jake Katzman got a promotion today."

Wagner laughed lightly at the mention of his roommate and best friend. "You mean he's finally working behind the bar counter instead of cleaning tables at Mario's Italian Eatery?"

"No! I meant to actually say that Sergeant Jake Katzman got a promotion today."

"Oh," Wagner said. "It's _that_ kind of promotion."

"Yes, and right now, he, Sgt. Rodman, and Sgt. McCall are waiting for you outside. We're going to, eh, Mario's to celebrate. Sgt. Katzman's paying, do you want to come?"

"Sure" Wagner replied, feeling a bit bothered from hearing _Sergeant_ three times in one statement. "Just let me get my jacket."

Cammy nodded as Wagner walked to his desk to grab his brown jacket. He looked at the writing scripted on the left side; K. Wagner. It was his father's jacket, the only thing that survived the explosion. Wagner had always found it funny because it was like an angel left it there for Wagner to keep warm. It was also where he was able to retrieve the photograph of him and his family, which was left in one of the jacket's pockets. They were the two items that Wagner cherished most. They were all that was left of his family, the only memories he was able to hold in his hands.

"Wagner, come on!" Cammy cried out. "We don't have all day!"

"Coming, squirt!" Wagner replied as he put the jacket on, ran out of the room, and locked the door.

"And quit calling me squirt!" Cammy growled through her clenched teeth.

They headed outside to a green Jeep where three other people were waiting. Sitting in the front was Jake. He was about Wagner's height with dark, spiky hair, a tanned complexion, and baby blue eyes that could make any women drown in them. Wagner had always seen him as a very responsible person, but can be a hotshot sometimes because of his beauteous looks.

He knew that tonight would be no exception.

Sitting in the front was Jake's girlfriend, Sgt. Debbie Rodman. She was a petite woman like Cammy with olive skin, long pin-straight blonde hair, dark sharp eyebrows, and light brown eyes.

Debbie turned towards Wagner. "Great, you're here!" she said with a smile.

Wagner and Cammy jumped in the back and sat down in the beige-colored leather seats. Wagner turned his head to the other girl who waited in the back with Jake and Debbie. "Hey Liz," he said.

Liz smiled showing off her perfectly straight white teeth. "Hey Wagner." She then turned towards the front. "Let's go, I'm hungry!"

"All right, I'm moving!" Jake replied and pressed on the gas pedal. They began to leave the base and head towards the city, the wind blowing into everyone faces and their hairs flying with it.

Wagner turned his head back to Sgt. Liz McCall. Her long red hair flew with the wind and her blue eyes glowed with her smile. She was a little taller than the other two girls, standing at about five foot seven and had a very light complexion. Wagner had always found her beautiful, but never said anything to her.

 _She's the base's General, Abraham McCall's only daughter,_ Wagner said to himself. That fact alone would pretty much make anyone hesitant about approaching Liz for a date.

Before Wagner knew it, they were in the city and parked in front of Mario's, which was a small Italian restaurant and bar. They walked in and were seated by the hostess in a booth. The table was made out of wood and the chairs made of lime-colored leather. After seating them, the hostess gave them their menus.

"I wonder what I should go for," said Jake opening up the menu. Then, two seconds later, he quickly put down the menu on to the table. "Got it; chicken and broccoli alfredo."

"Sweetie, you always get that," said Debbie rubbing her boyfriend's arm with her hand.

The five of them skimmed through the menu in silence before a young waitress came over to their table. She wore a white shirt and black pants under her maroon-colored apron and her blond hair were held up in a bun with black chopsticks.

"Hello, my name is Kari and I will be your waitress for the night," she said cheerfully. "What would everyone like to drink tonight?"

Jake took out his ID card and gave it to Kari. "We'll have some red wine."

Kari looked at his and everyone else's ID's. "Okay Jake, I'll be bringing them to you in a moment." Then she left and headed over to a nearby table.

After a few minutes of waiting and chatting, the wine was served and the five of them poured themselves a drink.

"To the new Sgt. Jake Katzman," said Liz raising her wine glass.

Everyone raised their glasses and clicked them together before taking a sip. It was then that Wagner felt a bit of disappointment to himself as he looked at his four friends.

All of them were Sergeants and are in a new class, while he was still a Senior Airman. He had been one for over a year. By normal standards he should've been Sgt. Himself by now. _Heck, Jake was only a Senior Airman for a much shorter time before getting his promotion today,_ Wagner thought. It was the first time since joining the Air Force that Wagner felt disappointed in himself for not trying to promote himself better.

 _My friends seem really happy because they're all Sergeants now,_ he thought with a bit of sorrow in his heart. _I've got to do something about this so that I don't ever feel left out._

The night quickly went and the five friends left the restaurant. Before getting into the jeep, Liz walked over to Wagner with concern on her face. "You were pretty quiet all night. Is everything all right"

Wagner looked at Liz and nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Okay," Liz replied. She wasn't too convinced about Wagner' answer, but she accepted it any ways. _Whatever it is,_ she considered. _He definitely doesn't want to talk about it._

On the way back to the base, Wagner decided in his mind, _I'll talk to Guile about this in the morning._


	3. Chapter 2 - A Talk & Hard Training

Entering his dorm room, Wagner had finished his morning jog. The fact that he ran every morning surprised most people who knew him because Wagner didn't seem like a morning person. To them, he seemed like the type who slept through most of the day and refused to get up until about three o'clock in the afternoon.

It was something Wagner had grown used to. Since he started living with Guile, he had been woken up by him every morning at around five am to go jogging. "It helps you focus more throughout your day," Guile said to him back then. For a while, Wagner would groan and either he would try to go back to sleep or force himself to drag himself along because no matter what, Guile would not take no for an answer, unless he was really sick (which, funny enough, was rare).

But as the months went on, Wagner would start waking up without a problem. There were mornings when he truly didn't want to jog, but he would force himself to do it any ways.

It was because of these morning runs that Wagner's health has improved. Back then, he always felt tired, especially during school, but that all changed since now he founnd himself with tons of energy.

Since moving into the dorms, he and Guile had begun running at separate times since both of them have different schedules, but it gave Wagner a chance to think through everything whether it would be his day or even his life and what he's been through.

But this morning it was different. Since last night, he wanted to talk to Guile about how to be a better soldier. As he jogged, he thought about exactly what he should say to his trainer.

But he hasn't come up with anything.

_Perhaps it will come to me when I see him,_ he thought.

Wagner looked at his black sports watch. It was six o'clock in the morning. Guile wouldn't be in his office until seven. He decided to take the time to grab a light breakfast. After getting dressed and putting hair gel in his short cropped hair to make it look nicer, he went to grabbed a fresh bagel from the cafeteria. The bagel already contained cream cheese on it, so he opened up the wrapper and began eating it. As he made his way out of the cafeteria, Jake had spotted him and slapped his back, nearly making him choke on his bagel.

"Hey there Wagner!" Jake said sounding like the cheerful person Wagner had always known. Wagner swore in his head that not one bad thing has ever happened to this kid in his life.

"Hey there," Wagner replied as he chewed on the bagel.

Jake grinned, showing off his perfect teeth. "Say Wagner, how about we do some weight training after lunch?"

"Sure," Wagner shrugged.

"Great. See you then, I have to get to class now." Then, Jake ran off. Wagner stood there for a few seconds before walking away.

At exactly seven on the dot, Wagner knocked on Guile's wooden beige office door.

"Come in," he heard a muffled voice say. Wagner opened the door and walked in. Guile was sitting at his desk, which matched the color of the door. The only thing on the desk was a file Guile was looking at, a computer, and a few photo frames containing pictures of his wife and daughter along with Wagner and Cammy.

Guile looked up to see Wagner by the door. "Hey Wagner, come in, sit down."

Wagner was nearly surprised by Guile's rarely-heard cheerful voice. Then, he walked forward, feeling the navy blue carpeting under his feet. Then, he sat down in the middle of one of the three chairs in front of Guile's desk.

Guile looked at Wagner. "Good morning, Wagner. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Guile knew that whenever Wagner came to his office around this time, it meant that Wagner wanted to talk to him about something, whether it was quick advice on the Air Force or something on a personal level, especially about his family.

Wagner nodded. "Yeah, it's just something stupid, really. I needed to ask you about... how should I put it… on how to become a Sergeant."

"What do you mean?" Guile asked with a bit of.

Wagner sighed. "Well, let's put it this way… I went out to dinner with Jake, Cammy, Liz, and Debbie last night because Jake got a promotion and he's now Sergeant. As I sat there at the table, I realized that I was the only one there who hasn't got a promotion in over a year."

"So what you're saying is that you want to become a better soldier so that you can be a Sergeant."

Wagner nodded.

Guile continued. "Wagner, you've always been good at what you do, but one way of becoming Sergeant is to have patience. Another thing one needs is determination. When one has determination, they're not willing to give up on anything. That's exactly what Jake did last week during his mission in Fiji and he earned his promotion for that."

Wagner let himself think about that for a second. Jake had managed to save three men from death that day. _I guess all you have to do is be courageous and not be reckless,_ Wagner thought.

He has been on missions before, but not as often. Wagner lately has been a bit reckless during missions.

One time, he went on a mission not too far off the coast of California. No one knew that the night before, Wagner had been drinking with a couple of friends from outside the base and he had woken up with a pretty bad hangover the next morning.

Wagner was lucky for two things… Jake offered to fly the plane that day, and he was the only one who noticed that he crashed, but unfortunately that was on the way back to the base after Wagner nearly shot some of his own men because of his impaired vision. Jake made Wagner promise that he would never drink the night before a mission again and as long as Wagner agreed, Jake would keep his mouth shut.

That was five months ago, and Jake still hasn't said a word.

"Wagner," Guile continued. "You're a good kid and you have a lot of courage, but sometimes you don't think things through before you act. I don't want to see your badge taken away because you've been reckless during your missions lately."

Wagner only nodded in reply.

\---

That afternoon, Wagner met up with Jake in the weight room. Wagner wore a green tank top shirt, black sweatpants, and white sneakers. He also had on a pair of black fighting gloves.

Jake came out of the locker room with a white towel around his bare shoulders. He wore black shorts, blue and white Nike sneakers, and red fighting gloves.

Ever since Wagner met Jake, Jake got him into not only weightlifting, but also regular martial arts. Both were already trained in military martial arts, but Jake had learned karate when he was younger and has been taking the time to train Wagner. Although still slim, Wagner's body has developed muscles all thanks to all that training Jake has given him.

Jake lifted his arms up. "Want to go first?" he asked with a smirk.

Wagner smirked back and immediately threw a hook punch at him. Jake quickly blocked the move and delivered a fist to Wagner's stomach. Wagner ignored the pain as he threw more punches at him. Jake managed to block them before jumping in the air and delivered a kick to Wagner's chest.

Wagner rolled back a couple of times. Then, he jumped back up on his feet just as Jake was a couple of feet away from him. Jake started throwing his own punches at him. Wagner blocked them except for the last one, which landed on his jaw. Wagner stumbled back for a second before charging towards Jake again, throwing more punches at him and even adding a few kicks.

Jake managed to block them until Wagner's foot landed hard on his left eye. Jake stumbled on to the mattress and rolled out of the way. He was seeing stars, but he refused to let them be in the way. He shook his head quickly, got up, and ran back towards Wagner.

Wagner was prepared as Jake threw another punch at him. He blocked the move before landing his elbow on Jake's side. Then, he followed it up with a kick to his abdomen.

The wind was knocked out of Jake and he stumbled back.

"Rising kick!" Wagner cried out. He jumped up and brought his legs forward. His feet smacked Jake bringing him up in the air. Then, he performed another somersault, which pushed Jake back. As Wagner landed back on his feet, Jake landed hard on his side.

Jake sat up a little bit and put a hand over his left eye, his teeth clenched. Wagner saw this and walked over to him.

"Are you all right?" Wagner asked.

Jake managed to smirk and removed his hand from his eye. His eye had swollen up and there was a bruise already developing. "You ruined my nice face," he laughed good heartedly.

Wagner laughed as well. "It wasn't like it was all that pretty to begin with."

They both shared a quick chuckle before stopping. Wagner put out a hand. "Need help?"

Jake grabbed Wagner's hand and pulled himself up.

"Remember this," said Jake. "Never let even the worst pain get in your way. That's what happened to me just now. That kick in the eye you gave me was pretty painful."

"I bet you it wasn't that bad when Cammy kicked your where the sun doesn't shine last year," Wagner laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Jake grumbled. "But other than that, you did well today."

"Same to you, buddy. You almost kicked my ass again."

"Yeah, but one can't always win. Damn Wagner, Debbie's going to kill you for ruining my face." Jake laughed.

"Well, I have to say that bruises on your face suite you better than the face you had a few minutes ago."

"Ha, ha," Jake replied. "Let's head to the weights."

Wagner agreed and the two headed to the weight lifting machines.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Sign

Sergeant Liz McCall held her machine gun in her hand along with the rest of the soldiers in the truck. Determination appeared on her face as the truck drove through the jungles of an island off of Hawaii.

_Hopefully, we can do this,_ she thought.

It had been three nights since she and her friends were at a restaurant celebrating Jake's promotion. Now here she was on another mission. Along with Jake and Debbie, she was sent to the jungles of an unnamed island to retrieve an eight-year-old girl from captives from an organization, name unknown.

Supposedly, from what Liz has heard, the little girl, only known as Maryanne, was kidnapped for ransom. Her father happened to be the forth richest man in the USA so Liz could see one reason why Maryanne was kidnapped.

_She's done nothing,_ she thought with a bit of anger. _Who could be so heartless to commit such a horrible act?_

Liz looked over at her best friend Debbie, who had the same determined look as hers. "You ready for this?"

Debbie looked at Liz and nodded. She tightened the grip on her gun. "Hell yeah, I'm ready."

Liz noticed Jake right behind her. He wasn't facing the girls. He was looking at the truck's exit. Liz then knew that his mind was focused on the mission and nothing else, even with Debbie, his girlfriend, right next to him.

Then, Liz's mind briefly drifted to Wagner. He wasn't chosen to go on this mission, but she didn't know why. She knew that Cammy was back at the base working on paper work involving a recently completed mission she helped out in, but she didn't understand why Wagner wasn't able to go. Sure, she knew of his past of getting into trouble, but he hasn't done much in quite a while.

Liz shook the thought out of her head. She had a mission to complete and that's the only thing she had to concentrate on right now.

Then, the truck stopped. One of the soldiers looked at Liz and the rest of the crew. "The mission now begins. Your main objectiveis to retrieve Maryanne and bring her back to the main base unharmed and alive. Let's move!"

Everyone jumped out of the truck and began running into the depths of the jingle. Liz made sure to be as careful as possible by keeping her eyes wide opened, preparing herself for any enemies who may pop out from behind the trees or bushes.

Debbie and Jake followed behind her along with the rest of the crew. Liz turned around to face everyone. "It's best that we spread out!" she called out. "It'll be easier to find Maryanne that way!" She turned to Jake and Debbie. "You two, come with me."

Jake and Debbie nodded as the others began to go their separate ways.

"Ready for more?" asked Jake.

In the distance, gunshots could be heard not too far in the distance. Immediately, the trio ducked down for cover to avoid receiving any bullets.

"Let's move," Liz ordered. They quickly moved forward while staying down as low as possible on their feet. As they did, they could hear more of the gunshots and a few screams coming from some of the soldiers.

A few Air Force planes flew above them shooting off their ammo at the other planes. Debbie slightly looked up a bit. "That should be us."

"Remember," said Jake. "The General ordered us to fight on ground."

"Conversations are nice and all," said Liz. "But we don't have time for it. Let's move."

Jake and Debbie nodded and began following Liz again.

\---

_Ten Hours Later_

Wagner watched from the windows as the planes returned to the base on the runways a few miles away from his dorm. He knew that Liz, Debbie, and Jake had returned from their mission from the island off of Hawaii.

At least he hoped they returned.

He had heard from General McCall a couple of hours ago that the mission to save one of the richest men's daughter was a success. However, it cost about fifteen soldiers' lives. It wasn't too bad of a loss than normal consider how many soldiers went on the mission, but Wagner was worried. He figured that Liz survived the mission because General McCall didn't seem terribly upset as he talked about the losses, but he wondered if Jake and Debbie were all right.

Then, he heard a ringing noise that sounded like someone instant messaging him on his computer. 'I don't remember having my messenger on,' he thought. He turned around and was surprised to see Cammy on his computer. He knew that she was in the room, but didn't realize that she went on his computer.

"Hey!" Wagner cried. "Did I say that you can go on my computer?!"

Cammy turned to him and spit her tongue out quickly. "Well, last time, you were using my phone for three hours. I got a pretty high bill because of you."

Wagner growled knowing that Cammy won the argument. Then, she turned around and continued chatting with others on his computer.

After a minute of silence, Wagner spoke again. "I know that Liz's all right, but do you think Jake and Debbie are, too?"

Cammy turned from the computer and looked at Wagner. "I'm pretty sure they're all right. If they weren't, I think Guile would've pulled us aside and told us."

Wagner nodded. "You're right, Guile would've told us. He knows how close the five of us are. I mean, after Eric, we should know by now."

Cammy nodded, feeling sadness in her.

Wagner sighed as his friend, Sergeant Eric Miller, came to his mind. He met him when he moved into the dorms last year. The two of them, along with Jake, were roommates. Eric was two years older than the two of them, but the three of them got along great. The three, along with the girls, were always hanging out and everything.

It was six months ago when Eric was called to go on a mission to retrieve a bomb that was going to explode. It wouldn't have been too much of a worry if the bomb wasn't too close to a village, threatening many of the villagers there.

Eric was the only one of the six friends who went on the mission. Wagner knew that the mission would be an easy one and that Eric would be returning shortly.

But Eric never returned.

When the bomb was retrieved, the person who tried to stop the bomb from going off accidentally pulled off the wrong wire causing the bomb to explode. Fifteen soldiers were killed instantly, including Eric. When the General announced the losses, he didn't mention whose lives were taken right away.

After the meeting, Guile pulled Wagner, Cammy, Liz, Jake, and Debbie to the side and sadly told them that Eric was one of fifteen killed. Wagner and Jake were more angry than upset about the freak accident. Liz only had a grim, but sad look on her face. Debbie sobbed softly while Cammy found that she couldn't stop crying. She held Wagner that day, the hot tears falling from her eyes and onto Wagner's shoulders. Guile only stood there with a grim look on his face.

The thought left Wagner. He lied on his bed on his stomach with his chin on his wrists. He looked over at Cammy, who was still typing away on his computer. He thought back on the way she cried when she heard the news of Eric's death. He always had the feeling that, somehow, Cammy had feelings for him. Wagner never bothered to ask, fearing that it would upset her. She had seemed fine in the last couple of months, but Wagner wasn't sure if that was her way of hiding her true feelings.

Cammy was very good at doing that.

\---

_Two hours later_

"The mission was a success," said General Abraham McCall. "We managed to get Maryanne back to her family."

"True," said Major General Guile. "But don't forget, it was at a cost."

The General's face turned a bit grim. "Yes."

The two of them were at dinner in the base's cafeteria. Guile looked around the cafeteria and noticed Wagner sitting with Cammy, Liz, Jake, and Debbie a few tables back. They were chatting away and laughing.

Guile turned back to McCall. "Seems like your daughter's not too affected."

McCall looked quickly at Liz, then back to Guile. "Perhaps it was because she didn't know anyone who was killed today. Then again, she doesn't show too much emotion easily."

"I see," Guile nodded as he took a bite of his roast beef sandwich.

Meanwhile, Wagner was with his friends in their own conversation.

"So what exactly happened?" asked Cammy.

"Well," said Debbie. "The three of us stayed together, at least until we got to where everything was happening. A bomb actually separated us out for quite a while. Jake and I fought off the soldiers for a few minutes. Then, one of the soldiers managed to get Maryanne somehow and we got out of there."

"I was relieved when we found Liz at the base there," said Jake.

"So what happened to you, Liz?" asked Wagner.

"Well," Liz said. "At one point, I was literally in combat with one of the enemies. No weapon or anything. I managed to knock him out after a while. When I got back here, I found a part of his shirt on my pin. It had a really interesting design."

"Show us," said Cammy.

Liz went through her pocket and took out the blue fabric. She laid it out in the middle of the table.

"Interesting," said Jake. "That could be like some sort of new necklace or something if it wasn't part of some sick organization that kidnaps children."

"Yeah," agreed Debbie.

While Jake and Debbie talking, Wagner and Cammy stared at the design in horror. They couldn't believe of all the enemy soldiers, they faced this one in particular.

Liz saw the look on both of their faces. "Is something wrong?"

They quickly looked up. "Eh," said Wagner. "Nothing."

Wagner knew a few things about these type of soldiers from Guile. He looked at his three friends one by one. _They could've easily been killed today,_ he thought. _They were very lucky._ Wagner looked at the design again.

It was a golden skull with wings.


	5. Chapter 4 - Outside Friends

Two days after the rescue mission, Sergeant Liz McCall slowly walked down a quiet hall. She was heading towards her father General Abraham McCall's office to show her the discovery she had found in her mission. She held the fabricated golden symbol in her right hand. She looked down at it again.

The golden skull with wings.

_What exactly does this mean?_ she thought. She had never seen a symbol like this before. Perhaps it was a new organization, one that the Government is not aware of. _If this group could do such a horrible thing like kidnapping an innocent child,_ she thought again. _Then this group could be capable of doing more horrible things, one that the government may not be able to control._

When she first showed the symbol she had ripped off the soldier's uniform, she had noticed the horrified look on both Wagner's and Cammy's face. She had asked them if something was wrong, but Wagner only shook his head and said, "Nothing."

She had the feeling that the both of them knew something about this group, but for some reason, they didn't want to tell her anything.

When she reached the end of the hall and stood next to a dark wooden door, she shook the confusing thoughts out of her head. _Hopefully it's nothing._

Liz reached her hand to the door and knocked on it three times. Immediately after, she heard her father say, "Come in!"

She reached the golden doorknob, turned it, opened the door, and walked in. Liz looked around the office. It was twice the size of other offices with large windows covered by white blinds and pictures of her father's days in the Air Force against the white wall. There were a few wooden shelves against the wall, some filled with books, some were filled with medals and awards her father had received over the years in the Air Force. Over to the left were two leather couches and a glass coffee table in between them, which were used for small meetings. In the back middle part of the room stood a black desk with a computer and tons of paper on top.

General McCall sat in his leather chair, looking up at his only daughter with his blue eyes. His auburn hair had a few strands of gray at the side.

"Hello, pumpkin," McCall said. "What brings you here?"

Liz smiled. "Hello, Dad." She sat down in one of the two cushioned chairs in front of McCall's desk. "Well, on that mission I was on two days ago, I ended up in combat one-on-one with an enemy, no weapons. I managed to knock him out, but later I discovered this on my pin."

She opened her palm revealing the fabric with the gold design on it. McCall put his reading glasses on, which were around his neck, and looked at the fabric. Liz didn't see any reaction on her father's face. _Maybe it's not such a big deal,_ she thought.

After a minute, McCall took his glasses off and looked at his daughter. "You went on the mission two days ago. How come you didn't come to me about this right away?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal at first," Liz replied. "But every time I looked at it, I got this bad feeling inside and I wasn't sure whether or not it meant something."

McCall nodded slowly. "Well, I've never seen this type of design before. We may be dealing with a new criminal organization, but I'm not sure. It could be a symbol or just a design for their uniforms. Most likely it's the group's symbol. I'll look more into it and if I find out anything, I'll let you know."

Liz nodded. "Thank you." She got up from her seat and walked towards the door.

"Liz!" McCall called out. Liz turned back around to face her father again. "Tell Wagner that he's on stand-by tonight."

Liz smirked. "I will." She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

McCall stared at the fabric again. _Shadaloo,_ he thought.

Of course he knew about this criminal organization. They ran a drug operation and would do anything to get money, even if it means ruin the lives of millions. He did not tell Liz the truth because he wanted to protect her, protocols be damned. If he had known that this was Shadaloo she dealt with two days ago, she would've been taken out from the mission.

His eyes shifted to the small picture on his desk. It was of him at a young age, Liz as a child, and a young, red-haired woman next to both of them. The young woman was his wife Ann, who had died when Liz was ten years old from cancer. Just before Ann died in his arms, he has promised her that he would protect her however he can.

\---

_Nighttime_

Wagner looked around the base outside, making sure that no one was around. His hopes were right and he made his way towards the green jeep in front of him. He started up the car and made his way out of the driveway. He was even ready when he reached the base's exit where a guard was standing. He stopped the vehicle and the guard walked over to him. It was a young man, no older than eighteen. Perfect.

"Name?" the man asked.

Wagner reached into his pocket and took out a 100 dollar bill. "It's Wagner, but if you don't say a word about it, I'll give you this."

The guard nodded with delight. Then, he looked at the jeep. "But you know I have to write down that this vehicle is off the base."

"Tell them something's wrong with the muffler and I took it down to the car shop this afternoon and it should be back in tonight."

The guard nodded in agreement. Wagner gave him the money. Then, the guard lifted the block handle and Wagner was now on his way into the city of Los Angeles.

Of course, he was supposed to be on stand-by today. In case anything happened, he was to be called down by the General and receive his duty. But every time he was on stand-by, he never got called down.

This morning, he had made plans with a few outside friends since he hasn't seen them in a while. When Liz reported to him that he was going to be on stand-by tonight, he wasn't about to change his plans whatsoever.

After a five minute drive, he reached the place where he was to meet his friends at. They were going to be in front of a sports bar called Alexander's.

After parking his car, he headed towards the front of the bar. Four friends were waiting for him, three guys and a girl. One of the guys had his arm around the girl.

Wagner smirked at his friends. "Hey, what's up?" he said putting out his hand.

The guy with his arm around the girl, put his free hand out and they both high-fived. "Hey Wagner."

"Hey, Chris." Wagner looked at the girl and smirked more. "Hey Taylor."

Taylor smiled at him. "Hey."

The other two guys walked over to him. "Ron and Paul, what's up?" Wagner said to them as he high-fived the both of them at the same time.

"Now that we're all here," said Chris. "Let's go in!"

The five of them walked into the bar and sat themselves on stools around a green table. A waitress came up to them right away, all ordering margaritas. Throughout his entire time at the bar, Wagner's mind drifted off. Most of his thoughts were about his past, and all the things he went through. After his family's death, he went to countless foster homes. Sometimes, he had thought he found a loving home, only to be taken away and put into another home. Sometimes, he was put in a broken home and spent most of his times on the streets just to stay away from the pain of living there.

Wagner then noticed that every time he was with Chris, Taylor, Ron, and Paul, he would get depressed and the bad things in his life come to him. But these people were his friends.

Right?

Then, Wagner noticed the waitress come by. "Excuse me?" he said.

The waitress looked at him with a fake smile. "Yes, sir?"

"Could I have a double shot of whiskey as well?"


	6. Chapter 5 - The Former Killer Bee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Some of Cammy's history as Killer Bee was changed a bit to match with the story and was mainly inspired by Vammy's Life of Cammy series on ff.net.**

Cammy White woke up to a loud bang from outside her bedroom door at around five in the morning. The noise made up nearly jump out of her bed.

_What the bloody hell was that?_ she thought in annoyance.

Cammy got herself up and put on a pair of cat slippers. Then, she made her way towards her bedroom door. When she opened it, she found Wagner sitting on the floor. His eyes were bloodshot and half opened and his face was pale- looking.

Cammy rolled her eyes. "Wagner," she whispered. "Why did you go out drinking last night? You were supposed to be on stand-by."

Wagner slowly moved his head around a little to try to face Cammy. "So, I needed a drink," he said, his words coming out slurred.

"Please don't tell me you drove yourself home from somewhere."

"I'm not thaaaaat stupid. Taylor helped me drive the jeep baaaaack."

Cammy sighed. At least he was remembering some things.

"You're lucky it's Saturday and that you were _supposed_ to be on stand-by last night," Cammy continued. "At least you'll have an excuse for sleeping late this morning. Guile also has a meeting this morning so pray that you become sober before he gets back."

"What about Jane and Amy?" Wagner asked.

"Amy has to go to soccer practice this morning as well and, of course, Jane's taking her."

"And you?"

"I'll keep my mouth shut just this once."

"You're a good ssssssister."

Cammy couldn't help but grin despite feeling angry with him. "And don't you forget it. Come on, let's get you back to your room... and please don't puke on the way."

She helped Wagner up on his feet and dragged him to his room. _At least he dragged himself to the house and not his dorm room,_ she thought. _The guys there would've said something to the General for sure._

"Hey Wagner?"

"What?"

"Haven't I taught you not to indulge your life in alcohol?"

"What do you expect? I'm twenty-one."

"So am I, but that doesn't give you and I an excuse to do that."

Wagner grumbled something under his breath, but it sounded more like a, 'Whatever.'

Cammy got him into his room and threw him on his bed.

"Not too fast!" Wagner slurred loudly. "Now the room is sssspinning."

"That's what you get for drinking last night." Cammy grabbed a small garbage pail and placed it next to Wagner's head. "When you need to puke, just aim right in there."

"Thanks for the tip," Wagner replied with a thumbs up.

Cammy left the room and slammed the door behind her.

"Owe! My head!" Wagner moaned loudly.

Cammy headed back into her room and closed the door behind her. She felt a little frustrated with Wagner coming into the house drunk. She had told him countless times never to drink when things were going down.

Since Liz showed them, Jake, and Debbie the fabric with the Shadaloo symbol, Cammy knew that Wagner's mind would be racing. She knew what he was thinking and she was thinking the same thing as well.

_Could it be possible that Shadaloo reformed again?_ she though as shivers went up and down her spine. It was a question that would bother the both of them since they had a past involving the organization. Both of their parents were killed by them because their fathers were involved with Shadaloo in some way (there was also Wagner's sister who was murdered, but Cammy didn't have any siblings). Though there was one difference between them…

Cammy was captured by Shadaloo and turned into a mindless puppet. Wagner wasn't. He managed to get away before Shadaloo saw him.

Cammy didn't know too much about her past. She only knew a few things... she had parents, of course, but there were no other relatives as far as she knew. Guile had been good friends with her father and he was an undercover spy for MI-6 in her home of England. Apparently, he was spying on Shadaloo and was caught, causing his own demise along with his wife. His daughter was sparred, but with a price. She would work as a mindless puppet for the organization for life, never knowing who she was, never to remember a thing in her life. Those five years of her life were wasted serving the evil organization. During her 'service,' she only knew of two things...she assassinated many and she had a codename.

Killer Bee.

She didn't know why she was given that name. Perhaps she was the best at her job as a Shadaloo doll. She truly wasn't sure.

Cammy shook the thoughts out of her head. It was something she didn't want to think about this early in the morning. She walked over to her bed and took off her slippers. Then, she slipped back under her sheets and closed her eyes. After a half hour of tossing and turning, she finally fell asleep...

_Cammy slowly opened her eyes. At first, all she was able to see was a blur. After her sight was adjusted, she was able to see where she was... and fear suddenly consumed her._

_She was on a table strapped down by the metal cuffs connected to it. There were two needles, one sticking in each arm. She could also feel needles sticking into both sides of her head. She slightly bent her head down and saw that she was naked, openly exposed to those who enter the small room she was trapped in._

_It was then that she heard someone come in. Cammy found herself unable to move her head again, though she wanted to take a look at who had just entered the room. All she could do was listen to the heavy footsteps come closer and closer to her. After what seemed like forever, the person peered over her. When Cammy looked into the person's face, she wanted to scream._

_It was a tall man. He stared down at her with his glowing pale eyes, almost covered by the black rim of his red military cap. On the front of the red cap was the golden skull with the wings behind it. The man grinned at her, showing off a straight row of white teeth with a set of small fangs. The grin sent chills up her spine and her fear had now completely consumed her. She knew this man as the leader of Shadaloo, the man who had killed her parents, the man who had taken five years of her life away..._

_Bison._

_Bison brought himself a little closer to Cammy and said, "It's not over yet... Shadaloo will rise and take over the world... and you will be there by my side as The Killer Bee." Then he let out a demonic laugh, drowning out Cammy's screaming and pleads to be released. Suddenly, darkness took over her..._

Cammy shot up from her bed and gasped for breath. Beads of sweat poured down her face and her heart was racing a mile a minute in her ribcage.

When she was able to catch her breath, she could still feel the fear she felt from her dream. Bison's face didn't leave her mind and neither did his grin. A horrifying thought came to her...

_What if it isn't over?_


	7. Chapter 6 - A Night Out With Liz

_Two days later_

Wagner spent part of his afternoon training in the training room. Since he had nobody to spar with this time around, he practiced his fighting moves on a large punching bag, which was nearly as tall as he was. He wore a pair of black fighting gloves to protect his knuckles from breaking.

Not that it ever happened really.

A Godsmack CD was being played on max volume on the music player as he punched and kicked at the bag rhythmically. After a while of this, his favorite song, _Releasing the Demons,_ on the CD began to play making him work harder.

During some parts of the song, flashes of Wagner's memories played in his head. He was remembering how his mother would take him and sister out for ice-cream every Friday and how his father would take them to the park whenever he was home from his job. As the memories played like a movie, he punched at the bag harder.

At the end of the song, Wagner gave one more hard push at the bag. He had thought it would break, but it didn't. He had been in full concentration that he did not realize he was out of breath or that there was sweat pouring down his whole body.

Wagner let out a big sigh. "I need to calm down a little," he muttered. He walked over to the bench where his bottled water and towel were. He began to wipe the sweat off the face, then up and down his arms. When he did, he noticed that his biceps were quite developed since he last really looked at them. When he was first recruited to the Air Force, Guile had called him the skinniest boy in the force.

_May no longer have that title,_ Wagner thought with a small smirk.

It was then that he heard footsteps walking into the training room. Wagner looked up and saw Liz walk in. Wagner was surprised to see her in her regular clothes consist of a red T-shirt and blue jeans, not her gym clothes.

Liz looked around briefly before she turned her head to Wagner. She smiled and walked over to him. "There you are," she said. "I've been looking for you all over the base."

Wagner looked at her a bit surprised. "Really?"

Liz nodded while keeping her smile. "Yeah, then I bumped into Guile and he told me you were at the gym."

"Ah. So you came to lecture me about something." He ended that sentence with a light chuckle.

Liz chuckled a little bit too. "Well, I may just do that if you don't accept my offer."

Now Wagner was smiling too. "What kind of offer, Sergeant?"

"Well, since we both have the night off, why don't we go downtown together? It'll be my treat."

Wagner had been sipping his water then and almost choked on it, but he regained his composure quickly. Sure, they have gone out before, but never just the two. Usually, they were always with Jake, Debbie, and Cammy.

"You mean… kind of like a date?" he asked.

"Maybe," she teased with a grin on her face, and Wagner noticed her cheeks burning a little red.

He smiled more, this time his midnight blue eyes gleamed. "Well then, there's nothing for you to lecture me about."

"So it's a yes? Great! Meet me by the garage at seven. Don't be late." Liz got herself up and lightly kissed Wagner on the cheek. Then, she walked out of the gym. Wagner watched her until she was out of sight.

_Wow,_ he thought with delight. _I think she has a thing for me._

The truth was, he too had a thing for her.

\---

The night finally came. The sun had set for the day and all the night owls had come out from their hiding places for another evening of fun.

Liz drove one of the Air Force's Jeep with the roof off. Wagner sat in the front passenger seat with the wind blowing into his face and his hair blown back by the force. He looked up at the sky and stared at the stars gleaming down on the world. He had thought he saw the big dipper, but he wasn't too sure.

"So," said Wagner. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking Ray's, that club and restaurant in downtown Los Angeles."

"Sounds good to me."

They drove for another ten minutes before they finally reached the club. They parked their car in the back of the building where the small parking lot was. Wagner had thought they weren't going to find a space since the lot was so small, but they managed to find one near the back. Liz turned off the jeep before placing the keys in her small black purse.

"Here we are," Liz said to Wagner with a smile.

Wagner smiled back as he bent the arm closest to her. "May I escort you inside?"

Liz's smile seemed to brighten more as she wrapped her hand around the crook of his arm. "Sure."

They locked the doors and began heading into the restaurant with their arms linked. The hostess inside welcomed them. They both decided to go into the restaurant part of the club to eat first before hitting the dance floor. Both of them sat in a booth table made for two to sit in. The lighting in the room was dim, setting a bit of a romantic mood. The bass of the music in the dance hall could be heard from where they were.

"This is not a bad place," said Wagner after the menu was handed to them. "How did you end up finding this place?"

"Last year," Liz replied. "My cousin Janie and I were looking for a place to eat and we decided to go somewhere I've never been to before. So, we ended up here and we just had so much fun. I haven't been back since. Today, I thought about this place and, well, I wanted to take you here."

"I'm honored. So, what kind of food do they have here?"

"Everything that a steakhouse should have." Liz began looking through the menu. "I think I'll have the grilled salmon. How about you?"

"Hmmm." Wagner looked through the menu for a bit. "Everything seems so good, I'm not sure what to get. I think I'll go random when I'm asked what I would like to order."

The waitress soon came and asked if they would like any drinks. Wagner resisted getting a margarita. He didn't think it was a good time to even get tipsy. Instead he got a soda while Liz got a lemonade. When the waitress came back with their drinks, Liz ordered her food.

"And you?" asked the waitress looking at Wagner.

Wagner made his pick. "Stuffed shrimp with garlic bread."

"Coming right up." The waitress took their menus and walked away leaving Wagner and Liz alone.

It was then that Liz let out a little chuckle. Wagner tilted his head at her. "What's so funny?" he asked with curiosity.

Liz managed to stop chuckling so she could speak. "I was thinking about the first time we met."

Wagner gave her a small smile. "Really?"

"Yeah. It was the night Colonal Guile got a promotion and a party was thrown for him. He and my father knew each other already. We were seventeen when we were introduced by the both of them and it seemed like we hit it off right away."

"Yeah… say, didn't we almost kiss that night too?"

Liz almost laughed. "Oh my goodness, we almost did. But then I ruined it when I saw Cammy go in that taxi."

Wagner sighed remembering the event. "Yeah. But don't worry about it. None of it was your fault."

"I know… say, what happened that night when Cammy went in that taxi cab?"

"She snuck out of the party to attend a tournament we didn't know she was attending. That night, she got her ass kicked pretty well and I dragged her home to get her stitched up. A lot happened after that's pretty personal."

"Must all be hard for her," Liz said.

Wagner nodded. "Cammy and I went through a lot, but we have pulled through. The thing is that she's very good at hiding her fears. Then again, we were all trained to hide our fears, but sometimes, you have to show them or else you'll end up going crazy."

"I agree. But Wagner… I don't think I've ever seen you afraid."

She was right. He never showed any fears in front of anyone except Guile and Cammy. "I have no fears," was his reply to her. A lie, but something he didn't want to discuss to her right now.

To their surprise, their dinner arrived quicker than he had thought. They ate as they talked about past events during their time in the Air Force. Then, they made their way to the dance hall. They danced together to the music for a couple of hours before they both grew tired. Both of them got a glass of water before returning to the jeep. They drove back to the base and back to their dorms. Wagner's room was where they decided to go to say goodnight.

"I had fun Liz, best time I had in a while," said Wagner.

Liz's smile came back on her face. Wagner couldn't help but to smile back. Indeed, she had a nice smile, one that would brighten up anyone's mood.

"I'm glad you did Wagner," she replied. "Well, I should be heading off for the night. I have to do some studying for a quiz tomorrow."

"Definitely do that. Well, I'll see you tomorrow at lunch?"

"Sure. Goodnight Wagner."

"Goodnight Liz."

Liz did have the urge to kiss Wagner at that point. For some reason though, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Perhaps it was the guilty conscience of what her father would think. Instead she gave Wagner one last smile before leaving.

Wagner watched her until she was out of sight. He unlocked his dorm room and went in. He turned on the light and was about to take his jacket off when suddenly, his memories of his childhood came back to him. At first they were happy memories… then it was the moments and the little details of when his family was murdered. That repeated in his head over and over again like a cycle.

When he couldn't take it anymore, Wagner suddenly fell onto the floor and passed out.


	8. Chapter 7 - More Training

Wagner would normally spend about a half hour on his morning run. On this particular morning, he ended up running for an hour. A lot ran through his mind that morning, specifically his past.

It had been two weeks since he passed out in his room. When he woke up, he was back on his own bed being checked over by on-base paramedics. Jake had found him about two minutes after and called the medics, then rang Guile. Guile had thought it was something involving alcohol that made Wagner passed out, but he was wrong. It had turned out Wagner had passed out from a heavy amount of stress judging by his erratic breathing and heartrate.

The Air Force allowed Wagner a week off to re-cooperate. It had been a boring week for him, doing nothing but push-ups to keep himself in shape, and watching whatever was on television. Of course, he would hang out with his friends, but they had been busy that week with their training.

The run Wagner was running now was his first in two weeks. He had felt that he needed to really catch up on his missed days. After classes, he planned on doing more training with Jake, who he got the chance to speak to yesterday. Jake had agreed to meet at the gym at 2pm.

Soon, Wagner reached his dorm and went inside. He decided to take a shower. He grabbed a towel, went out of his room, and made his way to the shower room. He took about a twenty minute shower before getting out. He dried himself off, got dressed, and then went back to his room to get his books for classes. Just before he touched the book, a sudden, quick flash entered his mind.

In that vision, all he saw was a young woman with wavy blond hair and wore some sort of black uniform. Wagner was not able to get the details quick enough. The vision soon went and gone in a snap.

A perplexed look appeared on Wagner's face, his medium-colored eyebrows narrowed a little. "Where did that come from?" he asked. He shrugged it off before leaving the room.

\---

The afternoon soon came quicker than Wagner expected. When he came into the gym, Jake wasn't alone. His girl Debbie was there along with Cammy and Liz.

"Hey there," said Jake as Wagner walked in.

"Hey Jake!" Wagner called out as he put his duffle bag and bottled water down next to the others belonging to his friends.

Cammy and Liz were already sparring on one part of the mat. Jake and Debbie had been sparring as well, mainly waiting for Wagner to come so that the boys would spar.

"All right," said Debbie. "I'll be watching from the treadmill."

"That's fine sweetie," said Jake. They shared a brief kiss before Debbie headed off to one of the treadmills.

Wagner looked around the gym. Even with five people in the room right now, it still felt a bit empty. "I'm quite surprised not too many people come in here."

"It's usually quite busy in the morning and evening," replied Jake. "Besides, most of the other trainees have their own equipment."

"Cause they're filthy rich!" cried Debbie as she began starting up the treadmill.

"Well, look on the bright side," said Wagner. "If ever any of us go to a real college, tuition is paid for by the Air Force."

"That's true."

Wagner then looked over towards where Liz and Cammy were sparring. They were quite occupied with what they were doing that neither one of them realized Wagner came into the room. He stood near them and watched for a bit.

"Cannon drill!" cried Cammy. She darted herself forward, her feet towards Liz. She spun herself around in fast speed. Liz quickly jumped over her and landed on both feet. Cammy straightened back up and she and Liz faced each other again.

They ran towards each other and began exchanging moves. After a few seconds, Cammy was on offense and Liz was on defense. The fight seemed as though it was going to be a draw.

It was then that Liz turned her head and saw Wagner. She smiled at him, her blue eyes glittering a bit. "Hey Wagner."

Before Wagner could say hi, Cammy managed to tackle Liz down. "Pay attention!" cried Cammy.

Wagner almost laughed. _Isn't that supposed to be the other way around?_ he thought.

"Wagner!" cried Jake trying to getting his friend's attention. Wagner turned his head to him. Jake began throwing punches in the air with his blue fighting gloves. "Are you ready?"

Wagner smirked at his friend and ran over to Jake. "Let's get this started!"

Immediately as he went on the mat, Wagner threw his first punch at Jake. Jake blocked it and the two soon began exchanging their moves to one another. For a while, they each blocked one another.

Then, Wagner found an opening and threw an uppercut at Jake's abdomen. Jake let out an exhale and backed up a bit. Wagner gave him a change to catch his breath, but Jake had tricked him into that. He crouched down and swept kicked Wagner sending him to the floor. Wagner was a bit shocked by this, but then shook it off and quickly got back on his feet.

As soon as he did, Jake landed a punch on his jaw, but the next one he blocked. Then, Wagner jumped up, spun himself around, and landed a roundhouse kick at Jake's side. Jake stumbled, but then regained himself on his feet. He then charged after Wagner again and exchanged more punches and kicks.

Suddenly, another vision hit Wagner's mind as he landed a punch on Jake's shoulder. It was another one of his past memories.

_What the hell!_ he cried out in his mind. _Why the hell am I getting these vision?_

More visions appeared each time he hit Jake. Wagner could no longer stand these visions. _Why do they keep coming to me! What is the point of all of this!_

His anger soon began to consume him…which meant the only way to summon his Ultra powers. His right hand was soon consumed by yellow sparks. Wagner had not even realized what he had done until he landed a blow on Jake. Jake went flying back into the wall in fast speed. When Jake landed on the floor, it had left a huge dent on the wall.

Only Debbie had witnessed what just happened. "JAKE!" she cried out. She got off the treadmill and quickly ran over to her boyfriend, who was quite dizzy from the blow.

Wagner only stood there completely stunned. He couldn't even finch. All he could do is stare down at his friend. _I'm going crazy, aren't I?_

Cammy and Liz had not noticed until they saw Jake on the floor and the dent on the wall. They both stopped sparring and ran over to check to see if Jake was all right.

"Jake, are you okay?" asked Cammy frantically.

With Debbie's help, Jake got himself up. "Yeah, I'm sore but I'm all right. That was one mean punch Wagner gave."

Liz thought about Wagner then and turned around to where Wagner was standing, but he was gone. All that was moving was the slightly swinging door.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Longest Night

After the incident in the gym that past afternoon, Wagner went back to the Guile residence. Jane had seen him come in the house and when she called out to him, he said nothing. All he did was run upstairs and slammed the door to his room. Jane sat there stunned for a bit, not knowing what to do.

_He's upset about something,_ she thought.

She wondered if she should go upstairs to check up on him when Guile came through the front door. He looked around until he spotted Jane in the kitchen.

"Jane! Did Wagner come here at all?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"He is here," said Jane. "He's up in his room. Will, what happened?"

"I got a call from Liz just a few minutes ago. She couldn't explain exactly what happened, but apparently, Wagner did something to Jake and ran off. How long ago did he get here?"

"About five minutes ago."

Guile sighed to himself. "If he came here that soon, let's just let him cool off for a couple of hours before we talk to him."

Jane nodded in agreement.

They indeed waited the two hours. Just before dinner was served, Guile made his way up the stairs to check on Wagner. He went up to his room and knocked.

"Wagner?" he called out. "Do you want to talk?" All he heard on the other side of the room was silence. "Hmm, he must've fallen asleep."

Guile attempted to open the door, but it was locked. "Dammit." Then, he took his finger and played around with the slit on the knob until it turned 90 degrees. "There we go, that always came in handy."

He opened the door…and saw that no one was in the room…

\---

"Wagner, it's great to see you again!" cried out Chris. He then planted trails of kisses on his girlfriend Taylor's neck causing her to giggle a bit. Both were already quite drunk.

Wagner took a gulp from his whiskey. "Yeah, I had to get away from the base for a bit. I had quite a rough day."

"We don't get to see you that much anymore," said Paul as he was taking a sip of his beer.

Along with another friend Ron, they chatted for hours as they drank more alcohol. Wagner's mind would be somewhere else at times, mainly thinking about his adoptive family and friends. He slightly began to wonder how they were, but soon drained that thought away with more whiskey.

_Next week,_ he then thought. _Next week is the anniversary…_ He drank more after that thought.

With every thought he had, he drank more and more. That is until the bar he and his friends were at closed for the night.

It was two in the morning as the group headed to Ron's car.

"I'm not that drunk," Ron said as he took his keys out. He played around with it for a minute only scratching his car, which had scratches from previous attempts. He finally got the key in the hole when suddenly, sirens went off. Everyone turned as a cop car approached them.

"Oh boy!" cried Paul while he laughed. Everyone laughed with them…except Wagner who found himself nearly sober at that moment. He stood there frozen in his place.

_What have I done?_ he thought panicked.

The cops approached them, which were followed by another cop car. Wagner's friends continued to laugh as though this was all a big joke. Soon enough, all four of them, since none were cooperating, were handcuffed.

"Whee!" cried Chris. They jumped around and acted like idiotic… drunks.

_What the hell was I thinking?_ Wagner thought. _These people aren't my friends! They're nothing but drunken losers!_

But he wondered if it was too late when a cop approached him.

"You with these clowns?" he asked.

Wagner's only answer was, "I was with them… but I just realized how stupid they are…" He slurred a bit, but the cop was able to understand him.

"I'm glad you learned you lesson son… but I'm afraid since you were seen here and also drunk, we're going to have to take you in."

And for the first time since he was fifteen, handcuffs were placed over his wrists. Wagner wanted to cry, but he held it all back. Now wasn't the time to let his emotions out.

_I just screwed up everything… screwing up is all I am capable of…_

\---

"Scott Wagner?" an office said as he approached Wagner's cell.

Wagner had spent most of the remainder of the morning lying on his cot looking up at the ceiling. He had not realized how much time has passed until the officer guarding the cell approached.

He sat himself up and looked up at the officer. When he did, the officer spoke again. "You're free to go." He began opening up his cell.

Wagner slightly became perplexed. _Who could've bailed me out?_ he thought.

The person soon revealed themselves. Wagner was surprised to see who it was.

"Cammy?"

"Hi Wagner," Cammy said with a neutral look on her face.

Soon, Wagner was taken out. He was notified of his trial date before leaving with Cammy to the parking lot. They didn't say one word to each other until they got on the main road.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!" Cammy cried out frustrated. "You could've got yourself killed!"

"Don't argue with me Cammy!" Wagner yelled. "I've been thinking about it the moment I saw the cops. I was with the wrong people, I've drank when I wasn't even supposed to, and I'm fully aware that there's going to be big punishment ahead of me."

"Well it's not just that Wagner! I was asked to bring you to General McCall's office right away to see a staff sergeant, I'm not sure who. I don't know what they're going to do with you… there… there may be a chance that you'll be receiving a discharge from the Air Force…"

A shiver went up his spine. It was one of the things Wagner thought about while he was waiting in the cell. He knew of the possibility of being discharged from the Air Force, something he never wanted to happen, but he not taken the idea seriously until now.

They were silent again until they reached the doors to General McCall's office. When they entered the office, Wagner was surprised to see who the staff sergeant he was going to talk to was.

It was none other than his best friend Jake.

Wagner quietly sighed to himself. He knew he would have to deal with Jake later, but not like this. He turned to Cammy and nodded at her. She nodded back and she left them alone. He then closed the door behind him.

Wagner turned his head to Jake, who was in uniform. They saluted to one another before sitting down in their chairs.

"What did you do Wagner?" Jake asked him with a hint of disappointed in his voice. "We get a call last night saying that you got arrested for being drunk in public. Could you care to explain to yourself why you did this?"

Wagner sighed. "I was stupid… I haven't done something like this since I was fifteen... I don't know what I was thinking and I realized that I was with the wrong people. I plan on never having contact with them again… but I know it's not enough."

Jake nodded. "Wagner… before I continue, I want to let you know that I will be disciplining you like everyone else, not because you are my friend and roommate."

Wagner nodded in agreement. From there, Jake continued, but a bit more harshly. "I went through the violation policies before you came here… since this is your first violation as an actual soldier under the Air Force, you won't be discharged… that is unless you do it a second time. Is that understood?"

Again, Wagner only nodded. "And my punishment?"

"That I was about to state," Jake answered. "You are suspended from classes for three days. Also, for three weeks, you will be cleaning the floors, windows, and tables of the cafeteria building and not one spot is to be missed. And I mean it Wagner, if you do something like this again, you'll be discharged from the Air Force."

Jake stood up and saluted to Wagner. Wagner stood up and did the same.

"Jake," Wagner said. "I'm sorry about yesterday afternoon-"

"Don't worry about it," Jake said as he began paper work. After the salute, Jake hadn't looked at him once. "Remember, you start cleaning tomorrow. You're dismissed."

Wagner stood there for a moment, a bit surprised by Jake's tone. He knew it was Jake's job to discipline him, but he didn't think his tone would ever be that harsh.

_I guess he and everyone else are still mad from yesterday afternoon, especially now…_

Wagner sighed to himself again before leaving the office.


	10. Chapter 9 - Family, Friends, & Romance

Two weeks after he was arrested came the weekend. Wagner had spent his days at the campus cleaning the cafeteria building, exercising whenever he had the chance… and hasn't spoken to anyone since that day.

Everyone noticed this, especially Guile. They weren't sure how to approach him, but when the weekend came, the time when Wagner had a break, Guile had an idea.

"Jane," said Guile. "Cook up some Hunan beef tips tonight for dinner."

"Aside from hamburgers, that's Wagner's favorite," replied Jane. "Well, luckily, I had some extra beef in the freezer so I'll start cooking some this afternoon."

"All right." He kissed her before making his way up the stairs where Wagner was. Wagner usually slept in on the weekends so Guile knew he was still going to be asleep. After all, it was only nine in the morning.

Guile opened the door to his room and peered in. Wagner was still asleep in his bed.

"Wagner?" Guile whispered.

Wagner moaned a bit before saying in his sleep, "No Guile, I don't wanna do push-ups…"

Guile smirked a bit. Even in his sleep, Wagner was still grumpy about certain things.

"Wagner, wake up," Guile said a little louder this time.

Immediately at that response, Wagner grabbed one of his pillows and placed it over his head.

Guile sighed. He then did something he hadn't done since Wagner was a teenager… he took his blankets and yanked it off of him. Wagner was forced to roll out of the bed and fell on the floor with a loud 'oof!'

Wagner was now completely awake and looked up at Guile with sleepy eyes. "Ugh, what the hell did I do this time?"

Guile chuckled, "Nothing. It's a beautiful day. The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and all that stuff morning people like to say."

The young man's eyes widened a bit but Guile's sudden perkiness. The older man _had_ to be messing with him. No way he said things like that if his memory was still intact. "Who the hell are you and what did you do with Guile?"

Guile laughed more. When he stopped, he continued, "I know the last two weeks have been hard on you Wagner. You shouldn't be down about it."

Wagner managed to get himself up and sat on his bed rubbing his eyes. "I know… but I don't know… I feel like everyone here is against me."

The older man sighed and sat next to Wagner. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Jake forgave you and he had to do his job on punishing you. You also hung out with the wrong crowd, but you learned your lesson… it happens. Now, since it's the weekend, why don't you and I go do something? I've already asked Jane to cook up some Hunan beef tips for dinner tonight."

"Sweet!" Wagner cried out. "So… what should we do?"

Guile shrugged. "Miniature golf?"

"I hate golf."

"So do I."

They both laughed a bit.

"Basketball?" Wagner suggested.

"That's better," Guile replied.

Wagner got himself ready. Soon, they went to the gymnasium and played a few rounds of basketball. Both were quite evenly matched, but Wagner ended up winning.

"Ha, I beat ya!" Wagner cried out.

"Oh yeah," Guile said. Suddenly he grabbed Wagner and began rubbing his head with his fist.

"AH! My hair!" Wagner cried out.

"Don't be such a baby," Guile replied.

"Well if I touched your hair like that, you'd ground me!"

"I know, it's what makes this more fun, ha ha!"

After basketball, they decided to go downtown to enjoy some burgers from In'n'Out before going to the movie theater to see the latest Fei Long action film. After that, they returned to the base and to Guile's home, where Jane had just finished preparing dinner.

"Just in time you two," Jane said as the men kicked their shoes off. "I thought dinner would get cold by the time you showed up."

"I wouldn't miss this dinner," said Wagner. "And it smells good too."

It was then that Guile and Jane's daughter Amy came down the stairs. "Wagner! Daddy!"

"Hey there Amy," said Wagner as he bent down to give Amy a hug. They shared one before she went over to Guile, who picked her up.

"Dinner's ready Daddy!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yes it is," Guile replied as the three of them met with Jane in the kitchen.

As they enjoyed dinner, Wagner looked at the three at the table. Even though they didn't share the same blood, the Guile family had always been, well, family to him. He couldn't have ask for a better people to let him stay with them.

\---

The next day, Liz had called the house, asking Wagner to meet her at a large fountain in downtown Los Angeles. Wagner accepted her invitation and headed down there that evening.

It was quite breezy that night, which was not the usual. Wagner wore his father's jacket as he met with Liz, who wore a green windbreaker jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans. Her red hair was down which the breeze blew softly.

Wagner realized how stunning she was, even if she wasn't dressed fancy. He got out of the jeep he drove and walked over to her. He stopped about a foot from her. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied. "I'm glad you came tonight."

"Me too."

They fell silent for a minute before Liz spoke again. "I was worried about you the last couple of weeks."

"I needed time to think… plus after what I did that night…"

"Wagner, I forgive you. We all do, even Jake. Please come back to us."

Wagner sighed. "Well, I do have another week left of my 'community service.'"

"I can help."

"Don't do that Liz. It's my punishment, not yours."

Liz sighed. "I… I just miss you, Wagner…"

Suddenly, being called Wagner didn't sound right to him when she said it. "Liz… you can call me Scott."

Liz smiled. "Okay Scott."

Wagner smiled. It sounded much better when she called him by his first name.

"But remember," Liz continued. "You're my friend, and I'll always be there."

Then, without thinking, Wagner replied, "What if I told you that you were more than a friend to me?" After that he thought, _Damn, that was very corny…_

Liz looked into his eyes then. Wagner did the same until they leaned in to share a kiss. The kiss was as though they were now letting their feelings out after so long. After all, they had feelings for each other since the day they met.

They wrapped they arms around each other and held one another close deepening their kiss. Neither one of them wanted it to end, but it soon had to when Liz pulled back to catch her breath.

Wagner smiled at her. "So is this why you wanted me here?"

Liz laughed a bit. "Actually, I made dinner reservations at this Italian restaurant. My treat."

"No, we're splitting the bill this time," Wagner replied. "By the way… will your Dad approve of us?"

"Well, he won't like the idea at first, but he knows you're a good person on the inside," Liz replied. "Come on, let's go eat."

Wagner smiled as he and Liz began walking down the street. Family, friends, and romance… it was all he really needed.


	11. Chapter 10 - A Mission Gone Wrong

For the first time in a while, Wagner went out for his morning jog. The day was a beautiful one with the soft breeze blowing on his face. He wondered if the sky could get any more bluer than it already was. After his run, he headed back to his dorm room.

Like everyone else that morning, Wagner had thought today would be a great day, due to the weather and all. But as he finished dressing and was ready to go, an alarm suddenly went off sending an ear piercing sound. This type of alarm hadn't gone off in quite some time. It meant that there was an emergency and all trained recruits were needed.

_What's going on?_ he thought. Then, as if on cue, Jake came running into their room.

"Wagner!" cried Jake. "I was wondering where you were?"

"What's going on?" Wagner asked.

Jake quickly kicked off his sandals and began putting his military boots on, not bothering to put his socks on. "There's a massacre going on right now at a small island about twenty minutes tn the northeast. The military sent a distress signal there and need Air Force backup. We need you Wagner. Guile will be leading us."

Wagner nodded and quickly put on what he needed… his old brown jacket, which had hung from his chair for days. It had been his lucky jacket every time he went on a mission like this one. It was as though his biological father's spirit was with him.

Soon, he and Jake went into the hallway, where their hall mates began running towards where their jets were. Jake quickly locked the door before he and Wagner began following them.

They soon reached the jets. Wagner spotted Liz just getting ready to go into her jet. "Liz!" Wagner cried out.

Liz heard her name called out. She turned and saw Wagner running over to her. "Scott! What are you-"

Before she could finish, Wagner spoke, "I just want you to be careful, all right?"

A small smirk spread across Liz's face. "And you be careful too, but I'm sure we'll both be fine."

They shared a long, passionate kiss before Wagner headed towards his jet. Once he was there, the aircraft crew helped him up to his jet. He put on his helmet, sat in his seat, and put his oxygen tank on over the lower half of his face. He then turned on the communicator and started up the jet.

Once he was down, he pressed a button on his communicator. "Senior Airman Wagner to Sergeant White, do you copy?"

Then, Wagner heard Cammy's voice on the other end. "Well Wagner, you made it."

"Yes I did. I'm just calling to say watch your back."

"You too Wagner, and don't do what I wouldn't do."

Then, Guile's voice cut in. "Okay kids, that's enough chatting. We'll be heading out once all aircraft is geared and ready."

"Roger that, Colonel," said Wagner.

Once all fifty aircrafts were ready, they began following Guile's jet out into the Pacific Ocean. Wagner briefly looked down at the ocean admiring its beauty.

"We'll be entering the island from the North," said Guile's through the communicator. "The enemy will be expecting us to enter through the Southwest."

"Is it confirmed who the enemy is?" asked Debbie.

"It's unconfirmed, unfortunately."

Soon, silence took over except for the sounds of loud engines from the planes. Soon, they reached the island and got their guns and missiles ready, but once they flew over the island… they saw nothing…

"Um," said Jake. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Oh my God!" cried Liz. "Behind you!"

Suddenly, their heard gunshots and missiles from behind. Some of the Air Force's planes immediately were shot down. Wagner used a small mirror he had taped on the side to see who was shooting. He was in shock when he saw over a hundred Maroon colored jets shooting at them. He was more shocked when he saw the symbol on the side of their planes…

A golden skull with wings.

Cammy apparently had saw it too because then she cried, "Shadaloo! Guile, I think the distress signal was a trap!"

_But why?_ Wagner thought. _They obviously want something from us…_

Then, his alarm went off. **'Warning! Missile fired at aircraft! Warning!'**

"Crap! I got a lock on me!" Wagner cried as he forced his jet to fly faster.

As Wagner was being chased down by a missile, the rest of the Air Force began firing at the Shadaloo planes. Half of them were taken down within ten minutes, leaving only twenty-five Air Force aircrafts left.

The young Senior Airman came up with a plan to get rid of the missile after him. He brought the nose of his plane down and began heading down to the island below. _Hopefully this works…_

Just seconds before the plane would hit the ground, Wagner sharply brought his plane right back up forcing the missile to crash on to the deserted island causing it to explode.

But that would turn out to be Wagner's disadvantage. The force of the explosion immediately sent Wagner into a spin cycle and the engines began to catch on fire from the shockwave. He had no other choice but to eject himself out of the plane. He brought down his goggles over his eyes, pressed a button, and was immediately ejected out of the plane. Soon enough, his plane crashed into the ocean and exploded.

Wagner pulled a string and his parachute came out slowing down his fall. He was lucky the wind was blowing in a good direction because it pulled Wagner towards the island and he landed there. Once he was settled enough, he let himself fall to the ground and lightly coughed.

"Boy that was fun…" Wagner grumbled.

"It'll be more fun soon enough," he suddenly heard followed by a clicking of a gun. "Put your hands where I can see them!"

Wagner followed his orders. Once he did, he stayed as still as possible.

"Stand up!" the voice commanded him. Again, Wagner did as he was told. He then got a better look at everything. He was surrounded by soldiers…in Shadaloo uniform. For the first time in a very long time, Wagner was full of fear.

"Turn around!" the voice commanded again. Wagner did so and became face to face with a petite young woman. From his studies, he knew she was a doll by her uniform, but it was slightly different. Instead of black, it was dark green. She wore the matching cap on her head and her uniform was a mid-drift shirt, a very short skirt, and leather boots that ended at mid-thigh.

Once Wagner saw the wavy, thick blond hair, it hit him. At one time, he had seen her in one of her flashbacks.

"You," Wagner muttered. "Who are you?"

"Agent Viper, Shadaloo, but that's none of your concern. You will be held hostage with the others until the Los Angeles Air Force meet our demands. Take him away!"

The other Shadaloo soldiers came from behind him and grabbed him. Along with the others, he was taken into a submarine and they were brought to an unknown location. Wagner wondered if he would ever see his loved ones again… the Guiles, Cammy, his friends…

Liz…

\---

Once the LA Air Force destroyed the remaining Shadaloo aircrafts, their returned to the base with only nineteen jets out of fifty, their biggest lost in months. Major General Guile met with General McCall after getting out of his place.

"I don't know what happened-"

"I only found out right when you were attacked," said McCall. "I received a call from the leader himself…"

"Bison?"

McCall nodded. A slight chill went up Guile's spine before McCall continued. "They managed to capture eight of our troops. That would mean that there were twenty-three lost. They are holding the eight for ransom."

"Have they been planning this from the start?" Guile asked.

McCall slowly nodded. "They want two billion dollars from us if we want the eight recruits to be free."

"WHAT?!" Guile cried out. "We don't even have half of that!"

"I know. We will take action, but the question is, where are they located? We know already that they never stay in one place." McCall then took out a clipboard with papers and a pen on it. "I'll get down to it. Right now, record the missing aircrafts."

Guile nodded and began doing one of the jobs he dreaded. He took down the numbers on the nineteen planes including his own. Once that was done, he checked off the aircrafts that were missing. When he got down to the last missing jet, he looked at the name next to it;

Scott Kurt Wagner.

It was as though the entire world stopped. Tears immediately formed in Guile's eyes as he dropped the pen and clipboard from his hands, and his body slightly shook.

"No… it can't be… not him…" he muttered.

It was then that Liz, Cammy, Jake, and Debbie came over to Guile with a bit of worry on their faces.

"Major General," said Liz saluting Guile, who saluted back. "Have you seen Wagner?"

All Guile could do was look at Liz. When she saw the tears in his eyes, it hit her. Wagner was one of the thirty-one who perished.

"No, no…" Liz muttered covering her mouth with her hands.

"I'm sorry…" said Guile.

Debbie turned to Jake and embraced him. He tried to hold in all of his emotions as he embraced his girlfriend back. Cammy did not say anything and began running out of the area.

"Cammy!" Debbie cried, but Cammy ignored her.

Then, Guile walked over to Liz and embraced her. Immediately, Liz embraced him back and sobbed endlessly in his chest.

Inside, Guile did something he rarely did these days; he prayed… prayed that Wagner was one of the eight captured and not one of the twenty-three dead…


	12. Chapter 11 - Grief & A Cry For Help

_Four days later_

A memorial was held for those perished in the mission that went wrong in the gymnasium of the Los Angeles Air Force Base. People spoke about the soldiers and all the memories of them. Jake was chosen to talk about Wagner. Dressed in full blue uniform like all the other recruits in the room, he slowly walked up to the podium. He showed no emotion as he spoke.

"Scott K. Wagner… most of you probably didn't know him, but for those who did, you would know that he was a unique character amongst the recruits here. Before he came here, he was a reckless delinquent, but when he was put in military school, it changed his life. A lot has happened in his past, and it wasn't just about being the delinquent, but he had managed to pull through and start life over again. He was given a second chance."

Jake looked over to where his friends were. Debbie's eyes were misty as she listened. Then, he looked at Cammy, who tried all she could from becoming hysterical. He stopped there and continued with his speech.

"Life. Most of us take it for granted, and we don't realize what we have until it's too late. I've lost those I've known during my duty here, but this is one that has affected me the most. He taught me that life shouldn't be all serious. I admired his carefree spirit, even though sometimes he could go overboard. I guess that's why fate had us meet. We helped each other balance out with my seriousness and his wittiness. Wagner and I met when he came to this base two years ago. And within those two years, he grew up, has learned his mistakes, and became one of the best recruits I've ever known."

He looked up again. Guile sat with his wife and daughter, who were both crying. Guile's face was grim and he looked much older than he had five days ago. Then, he heart sank when he looked at Liz, who sat next to her father who had the same look on his face as Guile's. Liz was fine until he went up. She quietly sobbed as Jake gave out his speech. He sighed and continued.

"The last four days have not only been grim, but also eerie for me. Wagner wasn't the quietest person in the world, even if he tried and I always found myself waking up to him scurrying around his room trying to find his notebooks before he was late to class. Now I wake up to silence, and never in my life have I ever thought that the sound of silence would be disturbing to me."

Then, Jake's emotions caught up with him as he tried to choke back tears. He cleared his throat and read the last portion of his speech.

"But, we know now that Wagner, along with the other recruits, is in a better place, free from pain, free from war, free from everything that's hard to bare. Even when I get old and sit in my rocking chair many years from now, I will always remember Wagner. He's one of those people you could never forget."

Once he ended his speech, he took his papers and walked off the stage. And instead of returning to his seat, he ran out of the gymnasium and into the hallway. His girlfriend Debbie watched and once he was out, she went after him.

Debbie thought he was heading back to the dorms, but it turned out that he didn't even leave the hallway of the gymnasium. Jake learned his back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

"Jake," Debbie whispered. Jake looked over at her as she walked closer to him and embraced him. And for the first time since he could remember, he broke down into what seemed like endless tears after holding in his emotions for days.

\---

After the memorial, Liz immediately returned to her room not wanting to deal with anyone's sympathies. She locked herself in and slid to the floor, her back leaning again the door. For what seemed like hours, she quietly sobbed as flashes of her days with Wagner came to her. It was only one day… one day before he perished that they had, after waiting for years, shared their first kiss. She had only wished that she was able to share more with him, just a few more days to have him and hold him in her arms.

she demanded to no one. _Why was he taken so soon? Damn you, Shadaloo!_

It was then that she remembered something. She quickly got up and went into her top draw of her desk. Quickly, she found the golden pin of a skull with wings from a previous mission. It then hit her.

She had previously dealt with them! And back when she showed her father the pin, he had told her that he knew nothing about it. He had lied to her… just yesterday, he had gone over plans for the operation to rescue the eight being held for ransom. She knew by the way he spoke that he had been dealing with them for years.

Liz's sorrow soon turned into extreme anger. She clutched the pin and began making her way to her father's office. She was with luck that he was in his office going over his paperwork. She didn't even bother to knock and went right in startling the General. Once she got to his desk, she slammed her hand down and left the pin on his desk.

General McCall looked at the pin at first before he brought he brought his eyes to his daughter's. He became more startled when he saw nothing but anger and coldness in those ocean blue eyes.

Liz spoke with a growl. "You lied to me! You told me you knew nothing of this symbol!"

McCall then recalled his previous meeting with Liz. "I, I didn't know how to tell you."

"Yeah, sure," she spat. "Father, I'm still a recruit, damn it! You can't just got ahead and protect me just because I'm your daughter! My job is also to serve our country and I'm not going to be treated any differently!"

"It was for your own good, Liz. Not everyone here knows about Shadaloo-"

"Only the new recruits don't know much of them! I've been involved in the military since I was thirteen! I think I should know more about this organization by now! I don't understand, why would you keep this from me? Isn't this against some sort of protocol and a bit… irresponsible?"

McCall sighed. "I had hoped that you would never get involved in a mission involving them. When your mother died, I had sworn to her that I would protect you from harm. But then, you desired to join the military and as much as I didn't want you to join, I also didn't want to deny your dream."

Liz let out a sigh. "So you feel that this is the only way to keep your promise? Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm old enough to take on these kinds of responsibilities. If I had known sooner who Shadaloo was, I would've been more prepared. Maybe more people would be alive by now… maybe even Wagner…." The mention of his name alone brought tears to her eyes.

McCall walked over to his only daughter and embraced her. "I'm sorry Liz. I just wish I was a better father."

Liz brought her arms around her father. "Don't say that. You brought me up well and you should be proud. Just promise me that you won't keep secrets like that from me." She looked up at him. "I know you want to protect me, but don't go against protocol to do it."

McCall nodded. "I promise Liz. I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too, Dad." From there, Liz wept and her father held her close, letting her pour out her sorrow.

\---

Dinner at the Guile residence was silent, just like the last four nights. Cammy had been staying there more than in her dorm since. She, Guile, Jane, and Amy ate their roast beef dinner silently trying to clear their minds.

Then, Jane broke the silence. "Um, could someone pass the potatoes?"

In silence, Guile brought over the bowl of potatoes and Jane received them. Amy sat there picking her food before eating it. Cammy ate her food slowly and so did Guile and Jane.

Guile shift his eyes to his right at the empty chair near him, the chair Wagner had sat in when meals were served. He began to miss the nights when Wagner would purposely scratch the plate with the knife making the sound as though someone scratched their nails on a chalk board. It was indeed annoying, but it was funny how he wished to hear it again.

Just as everyone finished their dinner, the phone rang. Guile slowly got up, headed to the phone on the wall, and picked up the receiver. "Guile residence."

"Guile, this is General McCall! I need you to come to my office now! It's urgent."

"I'm on it." Guile said before hanging on.

Jane slowly walked over to Guile with a worried look on her face. She always hated it whenever he said 'I'm on it.' It always meant that something was up and it usually wasn't good.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Guile grabbed his black jacket and put it on. "That was the General, it was urgent and he wants me at his office right away. That's all he said." He planted kisses on Jane and Amy's forehead, nodded at Cammy and left.

Once he got there, Guile quickened his walking pace in order to get to the office so that the suspense of what was to come would leave his shoulders. When he finally did reach the office, only McCall and two dispatchers were in the office.

The two men saluted each other before McCall spoke. "Guile, you know Clark and Leon the dispatchers. Well, you know that the army had sent out military recruits to check on all-known bases belonging to Shadaloo. We managed to get something quite interesting from one of their bases in Thailand." He took out a tape, which was on whatever spot that was to be played and put it in the tape recorder.

Guile stayed silent as McCall pressed the play button. At first, there were only the sounds of footsteps before what sounded like a cell door opening. A voice was heard, an unrecognizable one belonging to a male. Guile couldn't make out what the person was saying, but then soon screams were heard and there were electric-like sounds. Guile slightly winced at the sound.

Then the screams stopped, but before the last person stopped, Guile's heart jumped in his throat. He had recognized that scream.

Wagner's screams.

"General!" Guile called out. "I just recognized that last scream. That belonged to Wagner!"

The three in the room became stunned by Guile's discovery. "Are you sure?" McCall asked.

"Of course, I've been around him since he was fifteen, I'd know that scream anywhere."

"Then that means our men are being held hostage at the base near Thailand." He then looked at Guile seriously. "I know you have been in a situation like this before. Are you willing to lead a small group in there?"

"I'm always sure. Tomorrow I will handpick a team and we will head over there the following morning."

"No more than ten team members, I don't want us to be noticed, but I also don't want to lose many at the same time." Then McCall went into a whisper. "Don't lose your cool, Colonel. The past can get to you."

"You know I will. Right now I'd do anything to get my son back."


	13. Chapter 12 - The Gathering & The Plans

The cell room was dark and dank. If there was only silence, you were able to hear dripping water, a drip being heard every five seconds.

Wagner sat in the corner of his cell looking as though he was in a daze. He tried to clear his mind from the horrors of last night, but couldn't. Five of the men who were held along with him were killed after experience another one of Shadaloo's torture, something for their own sadistic pleasure. One man had tried to escape and was kill immediately. The other four were killed from all the torture they received. And finally, the only girl held hostage was taken two days before and was never seen again. Wagner's guess was either they killed her or added her to their 'collection.'

It was only him and another recruit named Ben Turner left, whose cell was across from Wagner's. He wondered why he and Ben were spared. Wagner had tried to figure it out all night, but he was constantly distracted by the dripping water nearby.

Then, Wagner shifted his eyes over to Ben, who had spent the night weeping for his life and comrades. The man, who was not much older than he was, was a Second Lieutenant. His dark hair was already streaking with gray from the stress he had endured. His brown eyes were circled with darkness and his tanned skin was paler than yesterday. He too sat in the corner, but was now asleep.

As his mind flashed with the things he saw, Wagner grew angrier. Shadaloo had demanded two billion dollars within a week from the Air Force or else the recruits would be dead. They had lied with five dead and one missing now.

_So this is their way of torture,_ he thought remembering Guile's stories from when he was a prisoner of Shadaloo. Wagner was willing to survive this just like Guile had.

He then thought about his friends. He knew in his heart that they were alive, but he had hoped that they knew he was here and not dead, especially Liz.

_What can I do to see her again…_

Then, his mind wondered to Agent Viper, the Shadaloo doll who managed to capture him. She had once flashed in his mind, but he couldn't understand what it meant.

_Perhaps my own mind was trying to warn me to stay away…_

Before he knew it, he soon drifted off to another cold sleep…

\---

Guile wasted no time the next morning. He called Jake, Cammy, Liz, and Debbie to meet with him at his house this afternoon. Although he trusted his recruits, he felt that he needed people who had more experience with the Shadaloo operation. The first person he called was Agent Chun Li of Interpol, Hong Kong Division. Years ago, they had worked together in an attempt to take down Shadaloo and separated when they had thought their duty was completed. Both were fully aware that Bison was still alive and his operation was larger than ever.

After waiting for quite some time, Chun-Li finally answered the phone. "Agent Chun-Li Xiang," she said in the receiver.

"Hey Chun Li, it's Guile."

"Guile! I haven't heard from you in so long! It's good to hear from you again."

"Same here Chun. I wish we could catch up on what's going on with our lives now, but right now I need to ask you a favor. Do you have any assignments right now?"

"Not really, just some minor stuff, which is mainly being taken care of by the other agents. Is something wrong?"

"Shadaloo."

Chun Li's perky tone immediately became grim and serious. "What about them?"

"They're in a base in Thailand and they are holding eight of our Air Force recruits hostage, including Wagner."

Chun Li gasped upon hearing Wagner's name. She had met him a couple of times before when she and Guile visited one another. She never imagined that he would ever be in a situation like this.

"Guile, that's awful. I'm assuming you want me to take the next plane to Los Angeles?"

"If you can."

"You know I will. If I go now, I can get there in the morning. I'll see you then."

"Bye," Guile said before hanging up. Then, he moved on to one more call. Though this was one call he slightly dreaded, he had no doubt about calling this person in. He had helped destroy Shadaloo as well. It was none other than the US Martial Arts Champion Ken Masters… who was also Guile's brother-in-law, married to Jane's younger sister, Eliza.

After the butler in the Masters house answered, he handed the phone over to Ken. "Ken Masters here."

"Ken, it's Guile."

"What's up?"

"Shadaloo."

"Shadaloo?" Ken asked confused. "You found their base, didn't you?"

The Masters family had, of course, heard what happened to the LA Air Force as did the rest of the world. Ken and his family were saddened by Wagner's demise, who he had met plenty of times in family gatherings. They had been in the Bahamas at the time and were not able to make it to the memorial and only came back yesterday.

"Ken, I know you only just came back from the Bahamas, but I need you right now. We managed to discover the Shadaloo base and need some people to get in there. I volunteered to lead the team. As much as I trust my recruits, they don't have as much knowledge of Shadaloo as others. You, Chun Li, and Ryu do and are currently the only ones who I can contact. I've already asked Cammy and some of Wagner's friends to meet with us this afternoon."

Ken drew in a breath before continuing. "We're destroying Shadaloo again, right?"

"Not only that, but we're also a rescue party to get those eight recruits. Yesterday, we discovered that Wagner was one of them."

Ken was shocked to hear this. "He's alive?"

"Yes and in trouble if we don't get to them soon. Are you able to get here today?"

"You bet I will. And don't worry, Ryu is actually here, he was taking care of Mel while we were gone."

"…I can't imagine Ryu being a babysitter…"

"Me neither, but in the end, he did well. I'll be heading to my private jet. We'll see you in a couple of hours."

"See you then." Then Guile hung up the phone back on to the receiver. He rubbed his face with his hands before leaving the room.

Five hours later, the group united at Guile's house in the kitchen. He explained to Cammy and the others what was going on. When he told them that Wagner was alive as if of yesterday, their spirits were lifted, especially Liz's. Ken Masters and the legendary warrior Ryu met with him after arriving from San Francisco.

"We will be having another person joining us in the morning," Guile announced. "Her name is Chun Li, a detective of Interpol in Hong Kong. She has high knowledge of this organization and has personally dealt with them plenty of times before. Once she gets here, we will head to Thailand."

Guile turned his head to the younger recruits. "I know revenge is in your hearts, but I have one rule for all four of you. Once we rescue the recruits, get out and get home. We'll take care of Shadaloo."

"Do you at least have a map of the base?" asked Jake.

Guile slowly shook his head. "The only part of the base we know about is the entrance. Most of those who entered the Thailand base never came out alive. Those who did immediately left the military and disappeared."

"That won't happen with us, we'll live and honor our people," Debbie assured.

Guile smirked at her. Debbie was always determined and focused, which he believed was why Jake admired her so much. He then continued. "The best we can do is to be cautious once we get there. There's no telling what could happen. And Heaven forbid, if anyone ends up being faced to face with Bison, I advise you to not use your weapons. They won't be of any use, trust me. I learned that the hard way."

"Then what do we do?" asked Liz.

"It won't be good if he saw you, but if you see him before he does, run and don't look back. Like I said before, Ken, Ryu, Chun Li, and I will handle him."

"I know you dealt with him last time and won," said Jake. "But what if-"

"If you don't hear from us in two days…"

Everyone fell silent then.

Throughout that meeting, Cammy stayed quiet. She had dealt with Shadaloo before, but in a whole different way. She was once Killer Bee, Bison's favorite of the doll assassins. She was determined to save Wagner, but was more determined to avenge her parents' death and herself.

The meeting continued on through the evening. Everyone went to be that night with determination and hope in their hearts.


	14. Chapter 13 - In the Base

The morning came and everyone woke up with the same determination and hope that they had in their hearts when they went to bed. Once Chun Li showed up and was introduced, Operation: Scott began.

After a one-hour jet flight (using high-speed Air Force jets), they finally arrived in Thailand. They wore their own civilian clothes and headed to the Himalayan Mountains, where the Shadaloo base was located according to Intel.

Everyone already had their guns out, ready for anything. All stayed quiet until they reached a cave, which ended up being the perfect Shadaloo base.

"This is it?" asked Debbie with confusion. "A cave?"

"It's a good illusion isn't it?" Guile asked. "Now remember all that I said to you. From this point on, we'll split up. Chun Li, take Ken, Debbie, and Cammy with you. The rest come with me."

Once that was announced, Jake and Debbie turned to each other.

"Be careful," Jake said to her.

Debbie smirked. "You be careful too, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

They shared a kiss before she followed Chun Li, Ken, and Cammy inside. A chill went up Liz's spine. It was nearly the exact last conversation she and Wagner shared before he was captured. After waiting a few minutes, she and her group went in.

All was quiet except for their quiet footsteps. Ryu was the only one without a gun. Before, Jake offered him one of his own, but Ryu refused the offer. He didn't need it, which was odd for Jake to hear.

A few hours pass, which puzzled Guile. He then lowered his gun. "Something's not right."

"You're telling me," replied Liz.

Suddenly, the lights went on and they were surrounded by Shadaloo dolls, none of them armed.

"Guess fair is fair," Jake said putting his gun away along with the others. Once they did, the dolls dashed after them.

" _Sonic boom!_ " Guile shouted as he threw his arms around. A yellow boomerang-like energy came out of his arms and knocked down some of the dolls. The ones he missed came after him. Guile defended himself with various punches and kicks before finishing off the result with his somersault shell move.

Jake and Liz mixed in their military martial arts training together, knocking down many of the dolls with their own strategies. They were hit a few times, but managed to pull through.

" _Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!_ " Ryu shouted. He jumped up, put one leg one, and spun himself rapid knocking the dolls and sending them flying in the air. After giving more of them various punches and kicks, he used a hadouken and knocked down the remaining dolls.

Soon, all were knocked down and defeated. All four warriors stood in their fighting stance for a bit in case they were attacked by more dolls, but once they knew they were all really down, they put their guards down.

"Well, that was easy," said Liz.

Suddenly, two walls came down from the ceiling trapping all except Jake, who was lucky enough to stand a few feet from the other side.

"NO!" he shouted. He pounded on the wall hoping to find a way in, but it was no use. After a while, he began to focus again. They would want him to go find Wagner and the others. After another minute of thinking, Jake began sprinting down the darkness of the cave.

Inside the walls, Liz, Guile, and Ryu frantically tried to find a way out, but couldn't.

"It's no use!" cried Guile. "We're trapped!"

"Now what do we do?" asked Liz.

It was then that Ryu sniffed. "Guys… I smell gas."

Horror appeared over Liz's face. "No…"

The three of them covered their mouths trying to prevent themselves from breathing in the chemicals, but it was no use. One by one, they went down. Guile was the last and before he fell into unconsciousness, he could've sworn that he saw a large figure standing over them…

\---

After trying to sleep, Wagner opened his eyes again. When he did, he saw Second Lieutenant Ben Turner looking at him.

"I thought you slipped away," Ben said.

Wagner forced himself to crawl over to the edge of his cell. He clutched on to the bars to hold himself up. "Nah, it would take a lot to kill me."

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Ben replied. "You saw what happened to the others…"

Wagner was silent then. He knew he didn't have that long to live. It had been six days since he was captured. Shadaloo had only fed him three times including today and he felt himself getting weaker by the minute.

It was then that the door to the cell room opened, forcing Wagner and Ben to shield their eyes. Four soldiers came in, one opening both cells.

"Get up!" they demanded. One forced Wagner up and the other two forced Ben up. Wagner would've fought them had they not pointed their guns at them.

He saw Ben struggle and begging for his life. It soon irritated one of the soldiers and quickly he pulled the trigger ending Ben's life. Wagner shook from the sound of the gun and Ben's body landing on the floor. Upon that, blood quickly made a puddle under his head.

Then, another soldier placed his gun on Wagner's forehead. "You're the only one left, punk. Do you care enough for your life to cooperate?"

Wagner didn't answer and only stared at the shoulder with a blank face. Then, the soldier took the butt of his gun and thrust it into Wagner's abdomen sending sheer pain all over his body. He only let out a loud 'oof!' and keeled over.

"Let's go." Then the leading soldier looked at the one who killed Ben. "Take that one to the tomb."

The three soldiers then took Wagner through the dark hallway, which was a little lighter than the cell room. Wagner felt himself go in a daze, thinking about his loved ones, until he found himself thrown down to the floor in a large room.

"Here you go master," one soldier said. "Unfortunately, we had to kill the other one. He wasn't very cooperative."

Wagner looked up and only saw dark figures. Their shapes made out one petite women and one largely built man.

A dark booming voice soon spoke. "Good. Now leave us."

"Yes sir." The soldiers bowed and then left.

Wagner narrowed his eyes slightly. "I assume that you are Bison, the leader of Shadaloo."

"Correct," Bison replied. After a brief moment, he reached over and pulled Wagner up by his shirt. He then took his other hand and tugged on the brown jacket he wore. Wagner heard him sneer before he was dropped to the marble floor. "Well, well, well, this is truly a surprise. I happened to capture the son of Kurt Wagner."

This puzzled Wagner. "How do you know him?"

Bison laughed manically. "You don't know, don't you? He was a scientist, I'm sure you knew that… but did you know, he was a scientist for Shadaloo?"

"…I don't believe you."

"You better. We'll talk more… if you live I mean. Right now, I have other things to deal with. In the meantime, why don't you entertain yourself with one of my precious dolls..."

It was then that a few dim lights came up helping Wagner to see his surroundings better. He then saw the one petite woman who now stood in the light. It was none other than Viper.

Wagner stood up and growled. "You're very irritating you know that?"

Viper said nothing and got into a fighting stance.

Wagner snickered a bit and then got into his stance. "All right, if you want to fight, I'll use everything I got." He looked into her eyes… her midnight blue eyes.

Suddenly, it was as though Wagner was hit hard with a baseball bat as he gasped in horror, slightly out of his guard. He felt like a complete idiot for not seeing it before. Viper didn't appear in his flashes because it was a warning. No, it was something more than that. In his mind, Wagner put two and two together… and it matched just right.

Wagner began to tremble as tears developed in his eyes. "No, it can't be… you're dead…"

"No so," he heard Bison's voice. "It's so nice to see family reunite. Has it been more than ten years already?"

Wagner tried to hold his tears back, but they soon slipped down his face as he stared at the person who he watched die years ago.

"Lisa…"

Agent Viper was none other than Wagner's sister!


	15. Chapter 14 - A Soldier's Cry

"Lisa…"

Wagner couldn't believe it. He was staring at his very own sister, who he watched die at the hands of a madman a decade ago. But the thing was, she was no longer his sister… she was someone else.

"Resurrection truly is a special gift," he heard Bison say. "After I killed her, I realized it would be such a waste to not add her to my collection."

Once more, it all hit Wagner. Bison was telling the truth after all. His father was a scientist for Shadaloo and whatever he did caused his family's death… all because of Bison, the madman who murdered his family.

Wagner turned his head to Bison with rage in his eyes. Bison stood there, still in the shadows. "It was you… you killed my family!"

"Technically, I only killed your parents. Viper however… lived after all."

"It wasn't by her free will!"

Bison sneered once again. "I knew you existed, but you must've traveled so much that I lost track of you after a while, but it was all worth it now. Ever since I lost my grasps on Killer Bee, Viper has become my greatest assassin, much better than that wretched Killer Bee. Now, the moment has come for the reunion party to begin."

Wagner let out a growl before gathering up all his strength and sprinted after him. He ran quite well despite the fact that he had malnutrition.

But before he could reach Bison, he was suddenly kicked from behind and flew away from Bison. At that moment, Bison took the opportunity to teleport out of the room.

Wagner landed hard on the floor, sending sheer pain throughout his body. He looked up and saw Viper standing over him with an emotionless expression on her light toned face.

He was fully aware that she no longer remembered ten years ago and before that, so it was no use trying to get her to familiarize with the past. After all, he wasn't exactly the same person he was then.

He remembered when Cammy had dreams of being a Shadaloo doll and meeting a purple-haired woman, who seemed as though she was a psychic of some sort. She kept asking her if she ever wondered who she was and wondered if she ever thought about how she came to exist. Cammy was never sure if that actually happened to her.

Wagner wasn't sure if it would work, but he was willing to try it.

Before he spoke however, he was suddenly thrown across the room in high speed. He hit the wall and dropped like a rag doll. Wagner did his best to ignore the pain again. He turned himself over and saw Viper running towards him. A stunned look appeared on his face. It was as though she was one of those comic-book heroes with super enhanced strength.

_What have they done to her…_

Viper sprinted towards Wagner. "Engaging target!" she cried out as though she was only a mere mindless robot.

\---

Guile, Ryu, and Liz had been sitting in the cell room for a few hours wondering what their fate would be. They also wondered if Chun Li, Ken, Cammy, and Debbie were safe and not captured as well.

But Guile wondered another thing. "From what I can remember from Intel, this was the only cell block. Where are the recruits?"

They were silent again. Ryu wasn't sure what to say and Liz didn't even want to think about what may be happening to them now.

"Is there any way we can get out of here?" Liz asked.

It was then that two guards came into the cell room. The three of the stood up as the guards came over to them. One guard aimed a pistol at them as the other one opened the door.

"Don't try anything funny," said the guard with the gun.

As they were taken out, Liz couldn't help but smirk inside. The guard with the gun made one slight mistake… using a pistol against them.

Once she was close enough, she immediately kicked the gun out of the guard's hand, which flew in the air. She then jumped up, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at the guard.

"Don't try anything funny," Liz replied. It was then that they heard a wet-like crack. Guile had moved behind the other guard and broke his neck, killing him instantly.

Rage took over Liz's eyes and the guard became terrified.

"So, how does it feel to be at the other end of the gun?" Liz asked with a growl. "What have you done with the recruits?"

"I, I don't know anything!" the guard said shaking with fear.

Liz brought the gun closer to his head. "Don't you lie to me, you scum! I may actually spare you if you answer me."

"Kill me then! It'd be too bad then since you won't find anything out!"

A clicking sound was heard as she pulled back the pistol's hammer. Suddenly, the guard shrieked. "We killed seven of them!"

The three of them gasped with horror. "You monster…" Ryu grumbled.

Liz almost went into a panic, but then realized he only said seven, not eight. She was sadden for the other recruits, but she there was hope left that the last living recruit was Wagner.

"Tell me where they took the other one?"

"I've told you too much already." Then, the guard took out a hidden gun, put it to his own head, and pulled the trigger. Everyone jumped back by the sound.

Liz spat on him. "Some honor you have you coward!" She turned to Guile and Ryu.

"Bison… he lied to us," Guile said. "Well come on, we have to save the eighth recruit, if he's not dead already…"

Then with silence, the three of them began sprinting out of the cell and down the hall.

\---

Sgt. Jake Katzman spent hours searching around the lair. A few times, he bumped into some Shadaloo soldiers and dolls and managed to take them down, even when the odds were against him.

"Damn, where could they be…" he whispered out loud about the missing recruits.

It was then that he heard a loud cry followed by a loud crash. Jake immediately sprang into action and began running down towards the room until he reached the window. Through that window, he saw a doll sprinting over to a figure… a figure Jake immediately recognized.

"Wagner! He's still alive!"

There were no doors nearby. The door in the room was on the opposite end. He decided not to take a risk in finding that particular door and decided to take the easy way in. He took out a small nuclear explosive and stuck it on to the wall. He then made a run for it and hid behind the corner.

"Fire in the hole," he whispered.

Inside the room, Wagner managed to get himself up. He was completely battered and bruised. No matter how he tried, he couldn't bring himself to fight Viper. After all, this was his sister.

Was… _my sister_ … he soon realized.

Just when Viper was close to him, Wagner used whatever strength he had left to get behind him, grab her, and got her in a choke hold.

"Listen to me!" Wagner cried out, now going on with the plan. "Do you even realize who you really are? You may think you know, but do you ever wonder about your existence and where you came from?"

After some struggle, Viper seemed to get control of herself. Wagner spoke more. "Do you realize that your real name is Lisa Ann Wagner? Have you ever asked yourself… who am I?"

Then, Viper spoke. "Li… sa." She sounded it out as though she was a toddler saying her first word.

Wagner then dared himself to say the next thing. "If you come back with me, I promise you that you can get away from this hell. They're only using you here. I won't use you like they do, mark my words. You can be free to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Please…"

Then, to his surprise, a single tear fell from her eye. Even though he still had a long way to go, he felt relieved to finally get through to her.

Before he said any more, a sudden explosion caused the both of them to cry out and fall back. Wagner still kept his grip on Viper, who was now knocked unconscious from the shockwave.

"Wagner!" he heard a familiar voice cry out after the debris settled. Wagner saw the shadow run over to him and into the light.

"Jake!" Wagner cried out. Jake reached him and helped him up.

"You all right?"

Wagner nodded. "This is going to sound strange, but that girl at our feet is my sister…"

"What?!" Jake said shocked.

"There's not enough time. We've got to get out of here!"

"Where are the other recruits?"

"They're dead."

Jake became more shock but regained his composure. "Are you well enough to walk? We can help each other get Lisa out of here."

"I think I can do it."

But then, just as Wagner was bending down to get his sister up, he suddenly felt a gust of wind brush his back. And from that moment, it was as though everything went in slow motion.

He turned in time to see Bison right behind them, now exposed in the light. He wore a full red military-like uniform with a matching cap, the rim covering his glowing white eyes. A black cape slightly blew as he finished his teleportation.

Jake had felt the gust of wind on his back too and immediately knew something wasn't right. He didn't even have time to turn around when he was grabbed from behind by the neck. Jake was lifted in the air and just as his feet left the ground, Wagner heard the one sound he could never forget… the wet-like crunch of Jake's neck breaking under Bison's one hand.

Jake let out a cry, his entire life flashing before him in seconds before he went limp, his blue eyes now cold as stone.

Wagner looked up at his best friend in horror. Just seconds ago, they were talking, and just as fast he was murdered. Bison let out a sneer before throwing Jake's body and smacking into Wagner forcing him to catch Jake and stumbling back.

Once he was able to regain himself, Wagner looked down at Jake. **"JAKE! NO!"**

Wagner had the urge to tell him to wake up, but knew he would only be a fool to ask an already-dead person to do that. Tears fell down his face as he held his fallen comrade close to him, his sobs muffled into his friend's shoulder.

He only did this for a minute before anger took over him. He set Jake down and got himself up, his rage to the point that yellow shocks surrounded not his arms, but now his entire body. Bison was quite stunned when he saw that Wagner's eyes were now glowing yellow.

Then it hit the madman. He once had similar powers, which wasn't as strong as his psycho powers. He remembered losing those powers when he had killed Mr. Wagner and his wife and daughter.

Wagner was there that day and didn't even know it. When the house exploded, Bison lost those powers, but now he knows where they went.

Wagner now held those powers within.

Bison let out a sneer then. "Well, well, well, so that's where my powers went. I thought they had completely left me forever when I killed that scientist."

Wagner didn't even care about the origin of his powers at this point, even after a few years of wondering where he got them from.

"You… **YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS AND TAKEN MY SISTER TO ADD HER TO YOUR COLLECTION OF PUPPETS! AND NOW YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!** "

The Ultra power grew more and the shocks grew larger. " **YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! NOT EVEN YOUR OWN SOUL DESERVES TO LIVE IN THE AFTERLIFE! EVEN IF IT DID, NO ONE WOULD TAKE YOU, NOT EVEN THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL!** "

Bison was quite impressed by Wagner's choice of words there. He knew that a battle would take place, but there was one problem for Wagner. Bison knew his powers well, so the battle was going to be too predictable for him.

Before Bison could reply, Wagner sprinted after him. Wagner would get his revenge whether he lived through this or not.


	16. Chapter 15 - The Face-Off

Wagner, with all the rage within him, sprinted his way towards the Shadaloo leader, Bison. He was the madman who killed his parents, taken his sister and added her among the dolls… and now the murderer of his best friend, Sgt. Jake Katzman, who's lifeless body laid next to his unconscious sister.

Wagner threw a punch at him. His entire body was covered in yellow shocks from the powers within him. Bison blocked the punch, but because of that, Wagner succeeded in turning the gauntlet covering Bison's knuckles into nothing but sand particles. With the amount of rage he was feeling now, Wagner wondered if he just punched Bison anywhere else, he could turn the madman into nothing than what had just fallen onto the floor.

Bison had almost forgotten about what the powers could do to any objects. He knew the truth though… even if Wagner did manage to land a blow on him, it would only stun him for a moment and nothing more.

They fought for quite some time until Bison managed to perform his knee press nightmare move on Wagner. He performed two double knee presses, jumped up and kicking Wagner twice on the way down, then performed a slide knocking Wagner back.

Wagner landed on the back of his head hard on the marble floor. It wasn't enough to knock him out, but it was enough to make him see stars. He could feel his blood trickle down his face.

Bison teleported over to him and grinned sadistically. "To think that a mere boy like you thinks he can take me down. You know rage won't help you either."

Wagner only stared at him with cold eyes. "If you intend to kill me, go ahead. There are too many people in this world after you, so it wouldn't make much of a difference."

Bison sneered again, which now gave Wagner a headache. "Very well… it's too bad though… you would've make quite a good Shadaloo soldier. But then again… I could just arrange that after I kill you, just like I did with your sister."

Before Bison could even began to bend down towards him, he suddenly heard someone scream out, " _Sonic Boom!_ " and then felt an energy coming towards them. Bison teleported away before the energy could even hit him.

Bison went closer to the three who interrupted. He recognized two of them… the warrior Ryu and Air Force's Guile.

"Well, well, well, you two again." Then he brought his eyes to Liz. "And it seems that you brought another one of your recruits. I'm shaking in my boots."

"You may be more powerful," said Ryu. "But if we managed to take you down once, you can be taken down again!"

"And what can you do about it?"

Suddenly, he teleported in front of Liz and delivered a hard punch to the face sending her to the wall. Liz cried in pain as she made impact and slid to the ground. Wagner watched this in horror. Now Bison was about to kill another one of his loved ones… this time his girlfriend.

"LIZ!" Wagner screamed out. He tried to get up, but pain shot through him forcing him to fall back down on the ground.

"Now… you die," Bison said sadistically, but before he moved, Guile and Ryu jumped on top of him and tried their best to pull him back.

"Liz!" Guile cried out. "Get Wagner out of here! We'll take care of Jake and the doll."

Liz immediately got up. She searched the room until she spotted Wagner lying on the ground still alive. She ran over to him and bended next to him.

"Scott," she said as tears fell down her face. As she sat him up, Wagner threw his arms around him in a tight embrace. Liz returned the embrace. "Come on Scott, we have to get out of here and get you to a hospital."

"No…" Wagner managed to say. "I have to kill him…"

"No!" Liz cried out. "You're hurt! You wouldn't even make it out if you stay here now."

"He killed my parents Liz… and he killed Jake."

Upon hearing that, Liz gasped and turned her head to Jake. Now she was able to see it. His head was in an abnormal position. She immediately realized that his neck had been broken.

_Debbie…_ she thought sadly.

Liz turned her head back to Wagner. "Scott, please. Guile and the others will take care of him-"

"I have to…I've been waiting -"

"No damn it!" Liz cried out then. "I'm not going to lose you again. I care about you damn it!"

They then both realized what she said. Wagner brought her closer and held her tight to him.

"Liz," he whispered as he made a decision. "Okay… get me out. I know Guile will win this for me."

Liz moved a bit and brushed her lips against his for a brief moment before helping him up to his feet. Guile and Ryu were fighting Bison far from the door. She managed to make her way towards the door when Chun-Li, Ken, Cammy, and Debbie came by.

"Wagner!" Cammy cried out. She ran over him and embraced him. Wagner used one arm to hold himself up against Liz and used the other to embrace Cammy back.

Liz turned to Debbie. "Debbie, help me get Wagner out of here."

"Where's Jake?"

Liz realized they were in a spot where they couldn't see Jake. "Let's go!" she demanded. She didn't want to tell Debbie about Jake, not until they were safe outside.

Debbie did as she was told and the both of them made their way to the exit.

Chun Li turned her head to Cammy, about to tell her to go with them, but Cammy was already heading into the room and charging into battle.

"Damn," said Chun Li as she and Ken followed her to where Guile and Ryu were fighting Bison.

Just as the three of them got there, Bison threw both Guile and Ryu over to them knocking them all back and down on the ground.

Bison recognized all three 'newcomers,' especially Cammy. "Welcome back, Killer Bee. It's been some time now, hasn't it?"

Cammy growled in anger. "You will pay for everything… that should be quite self-explanatory for all that you've done, especially to those I love, and especially to me."

She sprinted over to him and performed her cannon drill, which Bison blocked. She then took her by her pigtails and threw her across the room. Chun-Li went up next shooting out a ball of energy at Bison. Bison teleported out of the way, went behind her, and gave her a hard kick to the floor sending her across the floor.

Ryu and Ken double teamed, both shooting out their Hadoukens and following it up with their Hurricane kicks. Bison dodged and blocked the moves. He then took them both by their hairs and knocked them right into each other, then threw them over to where Cammy and Chun-Li were.

Guile went next, performing his somersault shell. Bison teleported himself out of the way before he was hit. Guile regained himself and then performed his sonic boom once again. Bison swatted the energy away as though it was only a mere fly.

Before Guile could perform another attack, an alarm went off.

**'Warning! The base will self-destruct in ten minutes!'**

"What?!" Guile cried out.

Bison sneered. "It seems like one of my trusted right-hand men pushed the red button. It was nice battling with you all, but I'm afraid that I'll have to make my early departure. But do not worry… I'm sure we will meet again someday."

With that, Bison teleported, grabbed the unconscious doll Viper, and then teleported away.

"Damn! He got away!" cried Ken.

"Guile, we have to get out of here!" cried Chun Li. "I'm sorry…"

"No, we tried. Besides, Wagner was the only recruit alive. The others are dead…" The five were silent before Guile began walking to Jake. "Let's get Jake out of here and get him to a hospital."

But when Guile picked him up, he realized how cold Jake's body was and the way his head fell back when he picked him up. Guile gasped by this sudden surprise. Jake was long dead. The best he could do now was to take him back to the base.

Soon enough, the five of them made their way out of the base.

\---

**Bangkok International Airport**

Guile, Cammy, Ryu, Ken, and Chun Li were being driven back to the airport, where Liz and Debbie had taken Wagner. It had been only a day since Bison made his escape. They all ended up separating that day. Liz and Debbie took Wagner to a hospital, where he stayed overnight. Now they were going to head back to the States.

The five of them rode in a truck with the back having its seats on the side instead of the middle. In between all of them was a large wooden casket containing Jake's body. The leather jacket he wore when he died lay on top.

They soon reached the airport. Wagner, Liz, and Debbie waited by the two jets they took with them, one of those jets belonging to Jake. Liz insisted that she will fly the jet back to the States.

Once the vehicle stopped, Guile knew that the hardest part had come. They may have managed to get Wagner back, but the mission was practically a failure. They weren't able to destroy Shadaloo and rescue the other seven recruits. And on top of all that, they ended up losing one of their best recruits.

From the vehicle, Guile saw the tears streaking down Debbie's face. Once they reached the hospital, Liz told her what had happened to Jake.

Guile popped the back doors opened and stepped out. He looked at the three young recruits, but especially at Wagner for a moment. Then he turned around and helped Chun Li, Ryu, Ken, and Cammy get Jake's casket out of the vehicle. Once they got it out, they carried the casket towards the jets.

Once they reached the other three, Debbie walked over to the casket. The five put the casket down and then backed away so that they can give Debbie the brief time to grieve. She placed her hand over the jacket before placing her forehead on top of the casket and sobbed uncontrollably.

Wagner slowly walked over to Guile, aware of the failed mission. He had also noticed that Lisa was not with them. He didn't have to ask… Bison still had his grasps on her.

"Guile," Wagner said a bit choked up as he thought about sister. "That doll we found… that was Lisa… Bison resurrected her…"

Guile became stunned when he heard this. His sister was alive, but as a Shadaloo doll. He placed a hand on Wagner's shoulder. "I promise Wagner…we'll get her back and get our revenge… even if it takes our whole lives to do so."

Then, in a rare moment for him, Guile wrapped his arms around Wagner. Wagner buried his face into his chest and broke down into what seemed like endless tears. In his mind, Wagner vowed to himself that he would get Lisa back, even if he died doing it.


	17. Epilogue - Sergeant Scott K. Wagner

_One month later_

Wagner sat in his seat with a handful of other recruits on a stage in the gymnasium in full uniform. Many of the people in the audience were in a pleasant mood today. It was the moment Wagner had been waiting weeks for… he was receiving his promotion to Sergeant.

As General Abraham McCall gave out his speech, he gazed at the audience in front of him. Liz had a smile on her face, resisting the urge to wave to Wagner. He then shifted his eyes to the Guile family. He didn't have to guess it… he knew that they were proud of him.

A week ago, Wagner went into a mission he was successful in. Since the failed Shadaloo mission a month ago, Wagner was determined to take down Shadaloo. He was one of the first recruits to join the new operation the Air Force called Operation: Lisa, named after his sister. Guile lead the group, all determined to taking down Shadaloo once and for all.

During their first Operation: Lisa mission, Wagner helped Cammy with rescuing another Shadaloo doll by the name of Juni, a young woman reported missing by her mother (who was now deceased) about five years ago. She was currently being cared for by the German government, the place she was originally from. That mission earned Wagner his promotion.

Wagner's mind temporarily drifted to the failed mission from last month and he frowned a bit. He gave the eulogy at Jake's funeral, who was buried at the nearby Los Angeles National Cemetery. After the funeral, Debbie officially resigned from the Air Force. She moved back to her home state of New York two weeks ago to begin her life over again.

Around the same time, a phone call came in asking Cammy White to join with MI-6 in England. It had been a hard choice, but Cammy wanted to do something a bit new for herself. She decided return to her homeland of England and took MI-6's offer.

Chun Li, Ken, and Ryu returned to their lives after Jake's funeral.

After quite some time, General McCall finished his speech and began the official promotions. A few recruits went up before McCall said, "Scott K. Wagner, from Senior Airman to Sergeant."

Though the audience was not to clap or cheer until everyone received their badges, they couldn't help but give Wagner a standing ovation, clapping and cheering on for him.

Wagner got up and walked over to McCall. He pinned a badge on to Wagner's uniform before saluting him. Wagner saluted back before McCall patted him on the back.

"I'm proud of you Wagner," McCall said. "Take good care of Liz."

Wagner nodded with a smile before sitting back down.

\---

The ceremony soon ended and everyone joined together for refreshments and further celebration. Instead of joining with the group, Wagner went outside and sat on the large grassy field outside the gym. He watched the jets taking off on the other side of the base doing practice runs for a bit.

_So this is life for me,_ he thought, feeling quite surprised about himself. _Even with all the hell I've experienced, there's still good things coming for me…_

"Wagner!" he heard a familiar voice cry out. He turned his head and saw Liz jogging over to him. Once she reached him, she sat down next to him. "Why aren't you inside celebrating?"

Wagner only shrugged. "I just had too much on my mind." He took her hand in his own.

Liz smirked and squeezed his hand in return. "I know it's been hard for you this past month."

"I know, and I know it's the same for all of you." He sighed again. "I'm happy that I was able to rescue that girl. It's brought me a step closer to possibly saving Lisa."

"We will one day, but even if it's not you, I'm sure another recruit will. The government is already aware that she is one of the ones captured, so every military in the country are aware and ready to rescue when the chance comes."

"I know," Wagner said. "And I know that Shadaloo will be taken down one day… even if it's not me doing it."

They shared a kiss before continuing to watch the jets taking off and landing.

_Lisa,_ he thought. _We will be united again. I promise you..._

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **If you are interested, Wagner's search for his sister continues in Part 1 of my _Ketsueki Quadrilogy_ series, _'Chishio No Me.'_**


End file.
